An Oceanside community is mourning the loss of a 15-year old girl, found dead at a playground in a park on Saturday.
Family, friends and community members gathered at Balderrama Park on San Diego Street Monday for a fundraiser and memorial to remember the teenager.
Anabell Flores was found dead on a playground structure around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday morning after officers responded to reports of shots fired in the area.
Police say they believe this was a targeted attack and not a random act of violence.
Those who knew Anabell told NBC 7 she was a bright, friendly teen who was loved by her family and the community. On Monday, they gathered to call for a change after the senseless tragedy left many in the community reeling.
During the memorial, a former gang member and an Oceanside police officer exchanged a handshake and a hug.
Joseph Lopez told NBC 7 that he used to hate police officers but now sees them as just another person.
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“Because that police officer knows the type of individual that I was,” he said. “He used to chase me through these streets.”
Oceanside Police Officer Jose Lopez says it was a special moment when they shared a handshake and a hug.
“He’s got young kids that he wants to see grow up safe in this neighborhood,” said Officer Lopez. “Well, I want his young kids to grow up safe in this neighborhood.”
“We’re all hurting from this,” he added. “It’s not something that we all look forward to dealing with.”
The community, which has been impacted by gang activity, is working to promote a better future for young through various mentoring programs.
“We go there with the hope that the experience of us sharing our testimony, that they don’t have to go through what we went through,” said Shanell Rodriguez with Project CLAIM. “They don’t have to go to prison; they don’t have to experience gang violence for rape of addiction or anything like that. Especially what happened this weekend with Anabell. She was loved. We all loved her.”
Meanwhile, Oceanside Police say they believe there is a specific witness who saw the shooting and could help them identify the suspect(s). They are asking for the person to come forward and share any information.
