One man remains hospitalized and another is recovering at home after being shot at Southside Park in Manteca on Wednesday evening.
According to the Manteca Police Department, officers were dispatched to the site – located at 409 Oregon Street – after it was reported that somebody had been shot.
When officers arrived, they found a male victim lying on the ground in the middle of South Willow Avenue just north of the cul-de-sac. The victim was suffering from multiple gunshot wound.
Police rendered aid until both the Manteca Fire Department and personnel from Manteca District Ambulance arrived on scene.
That victim was transported to San Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp – a Level II trauma center – where he is listed in critical but stable condition.
A second victim was discovered a short time later suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was transported to San Joaquin General where they were treated and released.
According to officers, the incident appears to be isolated in nature and both victims appear to have been shot by the same gunman during the same incident.
Southside Park is located less than a mile away from the Manteca Police Department and just southwest of downtown. The location has been a trouble spot for officers in the past and has been an ongoing hotspot for gun violence.
In 2019, a 19-year-old Manteca resident – Brandon Escobar – was shot and killed at Southside Park by 21-year-old Jonathan Ruiz.
Ruiz was initially charged with a gang enhancement that would have made him eligible of the death penalty and is currently incarcerated at Centinela State Prison in the Imperial Valley near the border with Mexico. He isn’t eligible for parole until 2034.
The Manteca Police is asking the public for their help in finding out any information that may help shed light on what transpired on Wednesday at Southside Park, or who have been responsible for pulling the trigger.
Anybody with any information is encouraged to contact Detective Russ Smith at 209.456.8256.
To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
