An online fundraiser tries to help the family of a 17-year-old boy who was shot dead in Richmond last month.
Melvin Rodriguez-Marquez died on March 19 in a shootout motivated by an impromptu argument in a supermarket on the 4100 block of Portrero Avenue.
Nearly $ 5,000 of the $ 15,000 family wanted had been raised by Monday afternoon. They said they are trying to raise money for funeral expenses.
Authorities said they do not believe the shooting was gang related or that Melvin knew his suspected shooter.
A 17-year-old boy was charged with murder and authorities identified him as Carl Townsend. He has addresses in Fairfield, Pittsburg, and Oakland.
This news agency does not usually name underage suspects, but does identify Townsend based on the gravity of the alleged crime.
Authorities said the shooting occurred the day after Townsend was released from a juvenile detention center, despite active arrest warrants in San Joaquin County. The arrest warrants concerned three pending robberies in the Stockton area, the authorities said.
The family described the shoot in an online statement from the fundraiser as “the saddest news of our lives” and said Melvin had his “whole life ahead of him”. … He lost his life to violent people. “
Video surveillance showed Melvin and the other teen staring at each other in the store before an argument escalated. Authorities said Townsend showed a gun and chased Melvin out of the store, then stood over him at close range and shot him multiple times after injuring him from a distance.
Staff writer Nate Gartrell contributed to this story.