MORENO VALLEY, Calif. (BN24) — A weekend mass shooting in a Southern California neighborhood left six teenagers hospitalized—most with life-threatening injuries—as authorities continue to search for suspects and a motive behind the violence.
The shooting occurred just before 11 p.m. on Friday, June 21, in the 12000 block of Orchid Lane in Moreno Valley, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. The suburban community is located approximately 15 miles south of San Bernardino and 60 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
Deputies responding to reports of gunfire found a teenage boy suffering from multiple gunshot wounds near the corner of Hemlock Avenue. Moments later, they discovered four more teenage boys nearby, each wounded by gunfire, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
All five teens were rushed to local hospitals for treatment of life-threatening injuries.
Shortly after the initial response, a sixth teenager—also wounded in the shooting—arrived independently at a hospital. All victims were male and ranged in age from 14 to 18, officials confirmed.
As of Sunday, June 23, authorities had not made any arrests in connection with the mass shooting. No suspects have been publicly identified, and the sheriff’s office has not released information about a possible motive.
“Deputies checked the area for the suspects responsible for the shooting; however, they were unable to locate them,” the department wrote in its official release.
Officials have also not disclosed whether the shooting occurred inside a home or outside on the street, and no further details about the scene or circumstances have been released.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office is urging anyone with information that might aid in the investigation to contact them at 951-486-6700.
The Moreno Valley shooting adds to the growing number of mass shooting incidents in California this year, continuing a troubling trend of youth-targeted gun violence across the United States.
