SAN DIEGO — Three young men and a teenager were behind bars Tuesday in connection with the fatal shooting of a 14-year-old boy in the Mount Hope neighborhood.
Bryan Escobedo, 18, Ethan Peaslee-Guerrero, 19, and Omar Morales, 18, were arrested along with a 17-year-old boy, whose name was not released because of his age, according to the San Diego Police Department.
The suspects were arrested about an hour after the fatal shooting, which took place around 4:15 p.m. Monday in the 3500 block of J Street.
Erick Balanzar, the 14-year-old victim, died at a hospital.
According to police, the victim was walking on 36th Street near J Street when at least one gunshot was fired from a silver SUV.
"The vehicle sped away but the plate was reported to police," Lt. Adam Sharki said.
Sharki said the license plate was traced to a Toyota Highlander that was spotted at an earlier "fight and large crowd" to which San Diego Unified School Police responded around 3:35 p.m. at 1155 C St.
"Some of the members of the crowd left in a silver Toyota Highlander," Sharki said.
At 5:07 p.m., the vehicle was located at 4600 Utah St., with Escobedo, Peaslee-Guerrero, Morales and the 17-year-old near the vehicle.
When officers approached, two of the suspects fled on foot and two were detained, Sharki said. The runners were eventually located at a nearby apartment and taken into custody without incident.
All four were arrested on suspicion of murder. The three adults were booked into the San Diego County Jail and the teen was booked into Juvenile Hall.
Erick Balanzar’s aunt, Emir Balanzar, told CBS 8 her family is devastated and now that four people are in custody, they hope to get some closure and justice for Erick.
“Cherish every moment you have with your kids, with your family because you never know if it’s going to be the last one,” Balanzar said.
Erick Balanzar was a student at King-Chavez High School in downtown San Diego. His aunt Emir said he was walking with a group of kids when gunshots rang out.
“There were a whole bunch of kids with Erick that day coming from school, and they just started shooting. They don’t know who these guys are. They have no idea. They’d never seen them before,” Balanzar said.
As the family tries to make sense of what happened to Erick, they’re trying to remain strong as they remember his life and how much he meant to them.
“He likes to go DJ on the weekends, spend time with his family, with his brother. It’s a great loss. It’s something really painful for everyone because we loved him,” Balanzar said.
As police continue to investigate, the family is asking for the community’s support. They’ve set up a GoFundMe account to help cover funeral expenses. For more information, go to GoFundMe for Erick Balanzar .