Antioch Police say four of last five September shootings unrelated to others, Chief calls it “a turf issue”
“We can’t say for sure it’s gang related. I’m sure it probably plays a factor.” – Investigations Lt. Bittner
This month’s 15th shooting on Sunday was self-inflicted, possible suicide attempt
By Allen D. Payton
After Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe made a statement on his official Instagram account on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, about the recent spate of 14 shootings in Antioch this month and claiming they “are being investigated as gang-rivalries” the Antioch Police leaders provided more accurate information and details on Monday. During an afternoon press briefing Lt. Desmond Bittner of the APD Investigations Bureau said, “We can’t say for sure it’s gang related. I’m sure it probably plays a factor.”
Following the briefing regarding the shootings, including four over the past week, Bittner repeated much of what he shared in a press release issued later Monday afternoon. It offers information about a previously unreported 15th shooting that occurred yesterday, Sunday, Sept. 22nd, which was a possible attempted suicide.
The police lieutenant wrote, “Over the past week, officers have responded to four additional shootings. Of the four shootings, one appears to be related to the shootings that began on September 2nd following the shooting death of Elijah Scales. The related shooting occurred on September 21st at 7:56 pm, in the 1100 block of Sycamore Drive. At least 17 bullets were fired, and three nearby businesses were struck by the gunfire. Fortunately, no one was struck (Report 24-8510).” (See related article)
Four Unrelated Shootings
“The three shootings listed below have no relation to the shootings that occurred September 2nd – 16th,” the press release continued. “We have also determined the shooting that occurred on Monday, September 16th at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds has no relation to the string of shootings.
- Friday, 9/20, 12:27 pm (Cavallo Road at Sunset Drive) – Report 24-8467. An 18-year-old man was shot and killed. A separate press release was sent out by APD 9/20/24. (An additional press release was also issued after the young man succumbed to his injuries).
- Sunday, 9/22, 5:27 am (Carpinteria Drive) – Report 24-8523. Self-inflicted gunshot wound. The man is currently in stable condition.
- Sunday, 9/22, 9:21 am (20 E. 18th Street) – Report 24-8527. At least eight rounds fired. One man was shot and is currently in critical condition. One woman was also shot and has since been treated and released from a local hospital. (See related article)”
Bittner then shared the list of the other shootings and again asked for the public’s help to identify the suspects as they are currently unknown. (See related article)
Addington shared earlier that the shooting of the “18-year-old on Cavallo was an isolated incident, the shooting at Rite Aid (on E. 18th Street Sunday morning) is unrelated” to the others. About all the other shootings Addington added, “It’s a turf issue.”
Additional Details from Monday Press Briefing
During the press briefing, Investigations Lieutenant Bittner said, “I can’t say for certain that all the shootings are related to the initial homicide Elijah Scales that happened on September 2nd. But we believe that they’re related, not all of them. They’re still under investigation, all of them. We haven’t made any arrests on them. We can tell you…the shooting that occurred at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds, that one is not related in any way.”
“And then the shootings that happened this past weekend…on Cavallo and Sunset, that we do not believe is related to anything from the Sycamore corridor from the Elijah Scales shooting,” he continued. “The same for the shooting that occurred on East 18th Street and A, that’s not related, either…to anything on the Sycamore corridor.”
“The shooting that happened the other night (Saturday) in the 1100 block of Sycamore…at least 17 rounds fired, nobody was struck,” Bittner stated. “Three of the businesses were hit by gunfire.” He was referring to the Sycamore Square shopping center.
“We did have a shooting on Cavallo. This was the 16th, I believe,” the lieutenant continued. “A male was shot at a memorial location for Elijah Scales. The last we were aware he was still in critical condition and that’s still under investigation.”
Asked for an update on the man shot at the shopping center on Sunday Bittner said, “He’s still in critical condition. That’s still under investigation.”
Asked by another reporter, “are we talking about feuding groups of gangs?” the lieutenant responded, “It’s hard to say. We can’t say for sure it’s gang related. I’m sure it probably plays a factor. That’s something we’re still investigating.”
Asked for any message he wanted to put out to the public Bittner said, “My message is pretty similar to what the chief said last week and that this isn’t going to be tolerated, and everybody deserves to live in a safe community, and we just want to keep things as safe as possible and all this needs to stop. So, we’re going to do all we can to make sure this comes to a stop.”
Asked by the other reporter if Elijah Scales was known to the police for any previous criminal activity, he said, “Not that I’m aware of.” Asked about the man who was shot at Scales’ memorial Bittner said, “I think he was in his late- to mid-40’s and he was an associate of Elijah Scales’ family.” Asked if the shooting was a drive-up, drive-by or walk-up the lieutenant responded, “I believe it was a drive-by.”
“All our officers on the patrol level are doing a great job responding quickly conducting thorough investigations,” Bittner stated. “And then if it rises to the level of where our investigators come out, our investigators are doing the same thing. Every case like this, every shooting we take seriously. We do very detailed, thorough investigations. We do all we can to try and identify the people responsible.”
Asked what he would say to residents who might be concerned or are scared the lieutenant responded, “I’d say try to be vigilant. If you see something that doesn’t look right, notify the police. If you do hear gunfire, do the right thing, call the police and let us know. Be a good witness.”
Bittner was also asked for any motive for the shooting on Sunday and said, “At this point we’re still working on it. We don’t have a motive identified.”
Asked about the suspects who were seen walking away from the scene of that shooting the lieutenant said, “I believe we have some strong leads as far as suspects, vehicles and so forth. So, that case is looking good. I’m pretty confident we’ll get it resolved.”
Anyone with information can contact Investigations Sergeant Bill Whitaker at (925) 779-6876 or wwhitaker@antiochca.gov or Detective Cox at (925) 481-8147 or by email jcox@antiochca.gov.
the attachments to this post:
APD shootings & Lt. Bittner 09-23-24
