Fundraiser Launched For Teen Boy Shot While Walking To School Function

BLYTHE, CA — A fundraiser to help cover the medical costs of a 16- year-old boy who was shot while walking to a school function in Blythe was underway Tuesday.

On Aug. 17, shortly after 7 p.m., officers responded to a report of an attempted homicide in the area of Barnard Street between Palm Drive and Willow Street, according to the Blythe Police Department.

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The victim had fled the area before officers arrived but was later found at Twin Palms High School, 811 W. Chanslor Way, police said.

Paramedics arrived a short time later and administered life-saving measures. The unidentified teen was rushed to Blythe airport and airlifted to a hospital.

Police said officers recovered "crucial pieces of evidence."

Detectives served a search warrant at a residence in Blythe on Aug. 19, where a juvenile allegedly connected to the shooting was taken into custody. The suspect, whose name was not released, was booked into Juvenile Hall in Indio on suspicion of attempted homicide and other charges, the department stated.

The investigation was ongoing.

The shooting victim's mother, Melissa Warren, created a GoFundMe campaign Monday to pay for "ongoing physical therapy, mental health care, follow-up appointments, transportation to and from care, and some of the income I will lose while missing work to care for him and attend court proceedings as his case moves forward," Warren wrote.

The site can be found at gofundme.com/f/help-my-son-heal-after-a-shooting?cp_src=d, and listed a goal of raising $13,000.

Warren said her son was shot twice while walking to a school function and was "running for his life when two bullets struck his left arm." He sustained nerve damage and bullets fragments that still remain in his body, she said.

Anyone with information about the case was asked to contact the department at 760-922-6111, ext. 5, or report tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 760-921-2273.