Seaside police see uptick in shootings in recent months
SEASIDE, Calif. (KION) A surge of shootings in Seaside is prompting the police to ask the public for any help they can give.
The Seaside Police Department says there have been at least seven shootings over the last several months scattered throughout town, many of them happening in densely populated neighborhoods. They're now asking residents to participate in one basic thing: if you see something, say something.
"This is very concerning to us. Seaside has experienced this type of violence over the years and we don't want to go through this again," said Deputy Chief Nick Borges.
Over in the San Pablo Avenue and Baker Street neighborhood, one young resident told KION there were a couple shootings in the area, just two days apart. He says he heard multiple gunshots before police arrived.
Police are worried about stray bullets potentially injuring or even killing someone who may just be sitting in their living room. It has already happened once in the last several months.
"In one particular case, we had someone that was struck by gunfire with non-life threatening injuries. We've had officers respond to other neighborhoods where they're finding casings," said Deputy Chief Borges.
No one has been killed in these past shootings. They usually happen in the early evening hours and sometimes in the middle of the night. Many occur in residential areas, where there are lots of homes and apartments that could easily be caught in the crossfire. Bullets hit at least one business in one case, but some of the shootings involve cars targeting other cars.
Police say it is typical for the public not to report tips because they believe what they saw or heard is insignificant or believe someone has already reported it. Investigators say call them anyways.
"It could come down to what somebody said. They may have heard a suspect say something, maybe they used certain words, it could be a color of his shirt, it could be a direction of travel. That could be the key piece in solving one or multiple incidents because that may be our missing piece to lead us to the correct evidence," said Sgt. Matthew Doza, who works in the investigations division at Seaside PD.
"We encourage the public to, please, if they have video surveillance on their homes, some people have videos in their vehicles, save those things. If you think you hear something, even if you suspect it could be fireworks, please contact the police because it may be gunfire. If you're not reporting it, we're not going to respond to it, we won't know about it in many cases," said Borges.
Police suspect some of the shootings are gang-motivated. Crime has been down in Seaside in recent years, and they don't want these incidents to become part of an ongoing trend.
"The people who are engaged in this activity, they need to understand that they will be caught and they will be held accountable," said Borges.
If you have any information regarding any of these seven shootings, you can find ways to report it to police below, including the locations of the shootings themselves.
PREVIOUS ARTICLE: The Seaside Police Department reports that it has seen more shootings recently, and they are asking for the public's help with the investigation.
The department is asking for any information about shootings that happened at these locations over the past several months:
- Wanda Avenue at Virginia Street
- Yosemite Street at Valmar Court
- Noche Buena Street at Military Avenue
- San Pablo Avenue at Baker Street
- Kenneth Street at Noche Buena Place
- Olympia Avenue at Laguna Street
- General Jim Moore Boulevard at Coe Avenue
During one of the shootings, police said a man was hit by gunfire. His injury was not life-threatening.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Parker at 831-899-6858, Detective Sergeant Doza at 831-899-6751 or the anonymous tip line at 831-899-6282.
