2 Boys Shot, 1 Boy Beaten In Gang-Related Fight Near Watsonville

Two teenage boys suffered gunshot wounds and a third had a concussion in a suspected gang-related incident just outside of Watsonville on Sunday night, a Santa Cruz County sheriff’s spokesman said Monday.

Shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday, officers responded to reports of five to nine shots fired in the 100 block of Miller Avenue and people running away from the scene, sheriff’s Lt. Kelly Kent said. Arriving officers found a 17-year-old Watsonville boy suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of his head, Kent said.

He was airlifted to a trauma center in Santa Clara County where he underwent surgery, according to Kent. The two other victims, two 17-year-old Watsonville boys, walked into Watsonville Community Hospital with injuries they suffered on Miller Avenue, Kent said.

One of the boys was shot in the shoulder and was taken to a Monterey County trauma center, according to Kent. The other boy who complained of pain to his forearm was later found to have suffered a concussion and was kept under observation at the hospital, Kent said. Investigators believe the third boy was beaten, possibly with a baseball bat, according to Kent.

The victims were all in stable condition as of Monday afternoon, the spokesman said. All three boys were uncooperative with the investigation, Kent said. No suspects have been identified and no arrests were made, Kent said.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call sheriff’s dispatch at (831) 471-1121.

--Bay City News