In wake of teen’s death, Pasadena leaders vow to find solutions

A fewer streets distant from wherever a 13-year-old resident was killed Saturday by a stray slug portion playing video games successful his bedroom, Pasadena metropolis leaders gathered to talk connected the calamity for the archetypal clip arsenic a agreed beforehand connected Monday, Nov. 22, vowing to find solutions to weapon unit successful the community.

“We can’t proceed to instrumentality the aforesaid attack to nationalist information successful this metropolis oregon portion and expect antithetic results,” Mayor Victor Gordo said connected the steps of City Hall.

Iran Moreno-Balvaneda, an 8th grader astatine Blair School, was playing video games successful his location successful the 900 artifact of North Raymond Avenue connected Saturday nighttime erstwhile shots were fired nearby. The lad was deed and aboriginal died astatine a hospital. The people of the shooting was unknown, but it did not look to beryllium the teen, constabulary said.

“Let maine simply accidental we person mislaid an guiltless beingness successful Pasadena,” Councilman John Kennedy said, utilizing his trademark booming dependable to telephone connected the shooter — oregon those who cognize the shooter — to crook themselves in.

Having been lawman main of constabulary successful Richmond, Virginia, Kennedy is nary alien to weapon unit — but that doesn’t marque this weekend’s calamity immoderate easier to bear, helium said.

There were 66 documented shootings this twelvemonth successful Pasadena, said Lt. William Grisafe, spokesperson for Pasadena police. Three people, including Iran, died and 16 radical were injured successful those shootings, helium added. He said immoderate of the shootings were gang-related, but helium didn’t person the nonstop figure.

Jessica Rivas, whose Fifth District successful Pasadena is besides struggling with weapon violence, said she’s appreciative for each of the hard enactment of officers who person stepped up their patrols successful caller days. But it’s much analyzable than conscionable much patrols, she said.

“We can’t constabulary our mode retired of it,” Rivas said.

She added: “This is simply a overmuch larger problem. It’s 1 that we indispensable lick due to the fact that each kid successful their metropolis deserves to beryllium harmless successful our neighborhoods, connected our streets, successful our schools oregon parks, and particularly successful their ain homes.”

Officers person confiscated much than 700 firearms successful the past 2 years, said Deputy Police Chief Cheryl Moody.

“The Police Department volition proceed successful our committedness to utilize each disposable resources including other patrol, quality gathering, investigation, and antithetic strategies to combat this rash of shootings,” Moody said. “But we request your help.”

Moody encouraged anybody with accusation to interaction the constabulary section arsenic soon arsenic possible.

Pasadena has been struggling with specified gun-related incidents successful caller months.

From Jan. 1, 2019 to June 30, 2021, Pasadena constabulary responded to much than 300 “shots fired” calls and astir 400 calls of gun-related crimes that see robberies with guns, assaults with guns and weapon possession. Nine radical were fatally changeable and astir 30 were wounded during that period, said Grisafe.

In precocious October, 4 abstracted shootings successful the metropolis that near 4 men injured and sparked an exigency gathering with Pasadena Police Department leaders, City Manager Steve Mermell and members of the City Council astatine the Jackie Robinson Community Center.

The unit spurred astir 100 mothers, younker leaders and different section dignitaries to crook retired and explicit their fears concerning the unsafe trend.

The shootings appeared to beryllium gang-related, according to Grisafe, who said detectives were moving to place the suspects and were looking into whether the shootings were linked.

“Preliminary accusation suggests these shootings are not random acts but alternatively pack members progressive successful a conflict,” helium said astatine the October meeting.