NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — The intersection of 16th and Euclid Avenue is where 16-year-old Damien Estrada from National City was shot in the head. Today, he remains on life support.
A horrific incident that has left the family heartbroken and has sparked fear within community members.
“If something were to happen to my children or my grand-children, that would be horrible. And being that it’s so close, that’s even worse,” said Cookie Llamas who has raised her family in National City and has lived there for decades.
Parents in National City are alarmed for their children’s lives, they say they fear the city is once again being plagued by violent crimes.
The concerns come after a recent shooting that has left 16-year-old Damien Estrada on life support.
According to National City Police, Estrada was walking home from his first day at school when a group approached him near the intersection of 16th and Euclid and fired at him.
“I just want the family to know if they need any help, the city and community will come and help,” said Llamas.
She lives near the intersection where the scene took place, Llamas and her husband heard the gunshots.
Llamas' husband even ran outside and found Estrada lying on the street.
“A neighbor said there was a little boy, so my husband with no shoes on just ran out the door,” said Llamas.
While llamas and other families believe there might be an uptick in crime, the city says otherwise.
“National City has definitely reduced crime, I think it’s reduced because of more community and policing models. There's been more building of trust between the community and the police,” said Vice Mayor Marcus Bush.
According to Bush, there has been an uptick, but the crime rate is still low overall and is nothing compared to what it was ten-years ago. He also says the focus should be on gun control and teaching kids conflict resolution.
“We need more resources for conflict resolution, to teach kids and keep them busy,” said Bush.
It’s not clear what led to the shooting, police are still investigating and are still searching for the three suspects who fled the scene.
Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact National City Police.
Estrada’s family has also released a GoFundMe account.
WATCH RELATED: 16-year-old boy suffers life-threatening gunshot wound in National City (July 2022).