‘Justice needs to be served’ Coachella Mayor promises action as search for suspects in deadly shooting continues
The Coachella Mayor is responding to deadly shooting in the city last week, which took the lives of a young couple.
16-year-old Brandon Anguiano and 17-year-old Jestine Carrillo were shot and killed in a Coachella neighborhood on Wednesday, July 20th.
“But when you go after kids who, you know, their life is just beginning, it's senseless,” said Mayor Steve Hernandez.
He said their lives were taken too soon. “When you have folks that are 16 to 17-years-old, getting gunned down, that's not a good feeling. And what we need to do as a community is put the message out that we're not going to tolerate it.”
Hernandez said he’s working closely with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department by providing them the necessary resources, to find those responsible for the murders. “Whatever you need to do, whatever else you can do, we're here for you. And we're going to provide the resources that you need in order to get your job done.”
The mayor is also working with deputies to decrease gun violence in the city as whole, amid a recent uptick in shootings.
Since May 30, there have been at least four shootings in the city. Two of those shootings have been deadly.
- July 25: 2 people injured in early morning shooting
- July 20: Two teenagers killed in Coachella shooting
- June 2: Man killed in overnight shooting near a Coachella middle school
- May 30: Man shot at Coachella shopping center
“This is about making sure that people know that there's a rule of law. And that we want to live in a community that's safe and dignified where our kids can, you know, go out freely and do what they need to do, and that they're not going to get killed.”
Hernandez said that he’s working tirelessly to bring down crime, and to ensure residents can feel safe.
He called Coachella a ‘peaceful town’ and intends to keep it that way.
“We can't live in a community where kids are getting shot, it's not going to stand. And if it's kids on kids or adults on kids, it doesn't matter. Justice needs to be served.”
The search for the suspects is still on. They were last seen fleeing the site of the shooting, wearing all black.
Anyone with information on them is urged to call the Sheriff’s Department.
Family has started a GoFundMe page to help pay for funeral costs for the teen couple killed last week. Click here to visit that page.
Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.
