California boy, 13, is shot dead by stray bullet while playing video games in his bedroom
- A Pasadena boy was shot dead while hanging out in his bedroom Saturday night
- The police chief described the teen as a straight A student who hailed from a good, hard-working family
- Cops said they don't believe the family was the intended target
- Pasadena is grappling with gangs and gun violence and held an emergency meeting last month to discuss the issue
A 13-year-old California boy was killed by a stray bullet Saturday night while playing video games in his room, police said.
Pasadena police Chief John Perez said the 'straight A' student was struck by at least one bullet inexplicably fired into the home.
Responding officers attempted to perform CPR on the child, whose siblings and parents were home, but were unable to save him.
'It's tragic,' Perez said during a Sunday morning press conference.
'I want us all to be aware that we hear words like 'tragedy' and 'senseless', but that gets old. This needs to stop.'
It wasn't clear whether the bullets were unloaded during a drive-by shooting or from gunmen on foot, but police said there was no reason to believe the family was targeted.
A 13-year-old Pasadena boy was killed by a stray bullet while playing video games in his bedroom Saturday night
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Pasadena has been hit with a series of shootings in recent weeks as gun violence is on the rise.
Last night's deadly shooting happened on the 900 block of Raymond Avenue, just blocks from where one person was killed and another critically injured October 25.
A rash deadly of shootings in the Southern California city prompted officials to hold an emergency meeting last month.
The shooting happed on the 900 block of Raymond Avenue, not far from where another shooting left one man dead and another critically injured last month
Pasadena is grappling with gun violence that sparked an emergency meeting last month
The Pasadena police department was implementing a plan in late October to reduce the number of stray bullets being fired, the Pasadena Star News reported.
The police chief told reporters that the city is home to a handful of gangs, and that cops have seized more than 500 weapons since the start of the pandemic.
Investigators are now scouring through all available surveillance footage as they continue probing last night's deadly shooting.
Pasadena Police Chief John Perez said the 'straight A' student was struck by at least one bullet
The boy's loved ones, who police described as a 'good, hard-working family' are not doing well as they grapple with the tragedy, Perez said.
Neighbor Jovita Gonzalez lives next door to the family and said she heard the gunshots.
She told the Pasadena Star-News that she saw the teen's parents waiting for police outside.
The boy's mom was screaming and crying, she said.
'Without saying anything, she reached out and held me,' Gonzalez told the outlet. 'She was pointing her, at her lung, and screaming: 'They hurt my boy' and kept asking if the ambulance was here.'
The boy, whose name has not been released, was transported to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Gonzalez said she's frustrated with the gunplay plaguing the city.
'We're tired of it,' she said. 'I can't even go out front with my dog anymore because I'm afraid I'm to going to get shot.'
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