SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Three people, including a 9-year-old boy and his father, were shot dead outside a liquor store in San Bernardino.
San Bernardino Police Sgt. Vicki Cervantes said Saturday that the shooter was waiting for the victims outside the store late Friday.
When they walked out, the shooter approached them from behind, pulled a gun and fatally shot them all, she said.
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The victims were identified as 25-year-old Samathy Mahan, 26-year-old Travon Lamar Williams and his son, 9-year-old Travon Williams.
The boy’s mother, Ebony Newman, was weeping at the scene of the shooting Saturday, telling KCAL-TV that “he was just a little boy.”
“He was my world, and somebody took that away because they were angry,” she yelled through tears. “That’s not right. He didn’t get a chance to live a life.”
While the motive was under investigation, Cervantes said authorities believe Mahan was the intended target. He’s a documented gang member who was recently paroled, she said.
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The boy’s grandfather, Steven Newman, told The Los Angeles Times that the child’s father was not affiliated with any gangs and didn’t know how he knew Mahan.
“Travon’s dad was no gang-banger,” he said. “He was a dancer and a rapper.”
The shooter fled on foot, and police were asking for the public’s help to identify him. They released grainy black-and-white surveillance photos of the man partially obscured by a hood.