Newark's Fourth Shooting of Year Sends Boy,14, to Hospital

say a 14-year-old boy is expected to survive what may have been a gang-related shooting on Cherry Street Thursday.

This is Newark’s fourth shooting of 2011.

Police Sgt. Mike Carroll did not give the boy's exact condition but said he is stable.

Carroll said the police department first received calls about the shooting on Cherry Street, between Dairy and George avenues, shortly before 3:30 p.m.

Cherry Street neighbors said they heard several gunshots, then saw the boy bleeding on the sidewalk.

“Cherry Street is a busy thoroughfare,” Carroll said. “You have an elementary school nearby. kids walk down Cherry to go home.”

Graham Elementary School is located about 0.6 miles from the shooting scene. Newark Junior High is less than a mile away.

Commander Tom Milner said investigators believe the boy was affiliated with a gang.

“I’m going to be straight with you. We believe this is gang violence,” Milner said. “We’re not sure what specific gang. We are working with the evidence, canvassing the neighborhood. We will bring an end to this senseless violence.”

The victim was a Newark resident who attended Newark Junior High sporadically, says neighbors.

The shooting investigation prompted officers to close off Cherry Street between Dairy and George avenues for about two hours. Neighbors who were at home at the time of the shooting were not allowed to leave during that time.

One man who identified himself as Ed said he heard six to seven gunshots at the time of the shooting. He said he called 9-1-1 after he saw the boy tucked under a white Chevy Suburban.

“I didn’t think I would hear gunshots like that in Newark,” Ed said. “I just moved from East Palo Alto.”

Another neighbor, Sergio Cervantes, said he heard the gunshots from the back of his house. He also saw the boy on the ground.

“He look worried, scared,” Cervantes said. “It looks like he was shot in the leg. I hope he’s OK.”

Cervantes said he has known the teen for about year.

“He seemed like a normal kid," he said.

Cervantes said he has never seen a shooting like this in his neighborhood.

“I’m worried out here. I have a daughter. I want to keep her safe,” he added.

If you have any information on the shooting, you may call the Newark Street Enforcement Team's Detective Sergeant Mapes at 510-578-4734. You may also leave information anonymously on the “silent witness” hotline at 510-578-4965.

Newark officers have responded to four shootings since the beginning of the year:

• On Feb. 23, someone shot an 18-year-old man in the legs at a housing complex on Cedar Boulevard near Lido Court. You may read more about the incident here.
• On Jan. 29, a man was shot several times in an alley behind  on Newark Boulevard. For more on that incident, click
• On Jan. 20, someone shot a 19-year-old man as he was driving by Haley Street and Cedar Boulevard. You may read more about that incident .