Bakersfield police say they're still gathering clues after a shooting in front an east Bakersfield convenience store on Martin Luther King Junior Blvd. Monday night.
Officers say a 12-year-old boy was hit by a stray bullet as he was trying to enter the Aneese Market.
"There’s no indication that he was an intended target. He’s an innocent victim if you will,” says Sgt. Joe Grubbs, Bakersfield Police Department. "Very limited suspect information when we talked to the victim. There wasn't much that he could provide. He wasn't very cooperative with the investigation, and we just weren't able to piece a whole lot of information.”
The manager of Aneese Market says it was chaotic after the shots were fired.
"I’m working inside, I hear the shots and see people hanging on the side of the store. When the people start the shooting, everybody goes inside,” says Snake Elmmeri, the store manager. “I see the boy, I go inside. I see he's bleeding. I tell him what's going on and he's say I’ve been bleeding."
Elmmeri says about 20 people pushed the door open and packed the aisles during the shooting. He says the boy didn't know he was hit in the ankle until he looked down and saw blood on the floor.
"I’m scared, yeah. I’m scared, yeah. When I see him, I wanted to call out,” Elmmeri says. “That's my boy. That's my neighborhood."
Police say they don't have much to follow up on, except they believe the vehicle involved in the drive-by shooting was a dark-colored, older, mid-sized pickup truck or SUV.
Police say the boy was taken to the hospital and is listed in stable condition. If you have information on this shooting, call 327-7111.
