Quinceanera in Antioch, CA: Nothing Says “Sweet 15” Like a Gunfight! 6 Wounded, as Young as 13

By Nicholas Stix
 

Antioch Sweet 16 Shootout Leaves 6 Injured
By Henry K. Lee
San Francisco Chronicle
Monday, January 23, 2012

Six people, including a 13-year-old boy, were wounded when a shootout erupted at a sweet 16 party in Antioch, police said Sunday.

The shooting occurred in the garage of a home on the 500 block of Wilmont Court at about 10:35 p.m. Saturday, said Antioch police Lt. Scott Willerford. The cul-de-sac is in the Dallas Ranch neighborhood, an area not known for such violence, authorities said.

The residents of the home were having a party for their 16-year-old daughter, and about 30 to 40 people were in the garage when an argument broke out between two groups, Willerford said.

"Weapons were brandished and numerous shots were fired from multiple guns," Willerford said. The shooters were three to four boys or young men, he said.

Six people were wounded: a 13-year-old Antioch boy, two 16-year-old Antioch boys, an 18-year-old Brentwood man, an 18-year-old Antioch man and a 21-year-old Antioch woman. The victims were taken to various local hospitals.

Their injuries ranged from superficial graze wounds to a possible broken leg and an abdomen injury, Willerford said. Some victims have been released, he said.

When police first got word of the shooting, officers were told that many partygoers were seen running away, authorities said. Antioch police requested the assistance of Pittsburg and Brentwood police and Contra Costa County sheriff's deputies to help manage the scene and identify the people involved, Willerford said.

Investigators were following up on leads in the case, he said.

E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle

[Thanks to reader-researcher RC for this find.]