Boy Fatally Shot In Watsonville Is Identified

WATSONVILLE-A boy fatally shot Wednesday in Watsonville has been identified as 15-year-old Aaron Lopez, police said today.

Lopez was found on a sidewalk after officers responded to a report of shots heard in the area of Lawrence Avenue and Magnolia Drive around 6:20 p.m., police Lt. Saul Gonzalez said.

The teen suffered multiple gunshot wounds and officers administered first aid to him, according to Gonzalez.

Firefighters and paramedics responded and performed life-saving efforts on Aaron, who was later pronounced dead at the scene.

It appears the murder has “gang overtones,” Gonzalez said.

Lopez’s family started a GoFundMe account in his memory online at https://www.gofundme.com/5qgbtt8k. The page has raised $1,170 of its $8,000 goal as of this morning.

The teenage boy was a son, brother and uncle who would’ve celebrated his 16th birthday on Jan. 24, according to the GoFundMe page.

Detectives are looking for witnesses who were in the area of Lawrence Avenue, Magnolia Drive and South Green Valley Road and saw a dark-colored sedan speed away around the time of the shooting, police said.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the police crime tip line at (831) 728-3544 or the department’s investigation bureau at (831) 471-1151.

-Bay City News