LAMONT, CA -- A Lamont teen remains hospitalized Thursday night after police and friends say he was shot in the head driving home from work. This comes after an Arvin teen was stabbed and killed by what police suspect was a Lamont gang member.
His friends and neighbors who say the shooting of their friend was a mistake.
Friends describe the boy as a good kid, always going to school never getting in trouble. They say they have no idea how he ended up with a bullet in the back of his head.
According to Kern County Sheriff's deputies the teen was driving down Buena Vista Road early Thursday morning when a car driving past fired at him.
Friends say the teenage boy was driving home from a late shift at a produce packing facility. Police say after the shots were fired, the 16-year-old crashed into a telephone pole. That's when friends say the teen walked a half mile to a friends trailer to call 911.
Many thought this shooting could be retaliation by an Arvin gang because a Lamont gang member is suspected of stabbing and killing an Arvin boy, Arturo Astorga. But friends say the boy shot was not involved in any gangs.
"I found out it was him and I was like oh my God. It was him," said Araceli Campana, the victim's neighbor. "I can't believe it happened to him he was a good guy and everything."
"Kind of tragic. Never thought that it would be him," said Juan Hernandez, the victim's friend. Really stunning when I found out it was him. He wasn't a trouble maker. He did whatever he could to get his grades up."
Although authorities have not released the teen's name, friends say he is a junior at Arvin High School. Friends tell us they have seen him at the hospital and he is stable, but unconscious.
As of Thursday afternoon the Sheriff's Department had made no arrests. Authorities are asking anyone with information to call Secret Witness at 322-4040 or the Sheriff's Office at 861-3110.