A 17-year-old boy shot this afternoon in the south Sacramento area has died.
Law enforcement officers are trying to piece together events that led to the shooting.
Sacramento Sheriff's Department spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos said deputies responded to the area of Southwest Avenue and Nina Way about 1 p.m. after receiving a report that occupants of two vehicles were shooting into the air or at each other.
Deputies, however, were unable to locate victims, witnesses, shell casings or any other evidence of a shooting, and left the area.
About 2:20 p.m. the Sheriff's Department was contacted by the UC Davis Medical Center, where Sacramento police had responded regarding a victim of a shooting that apparently occurred in the Sheriff's Department's jurisdiction. The boy had been taken to the hospital in a private vehicle.
Ramos said the youth suffered a gunshot to the upper body and was taken into surgery. He died shortly before 5 p.m. His name has not been released pending notification of family.
Deputies returned to the area of Southwest Avenue, off Stockton Boulevard and south of Fruitridge Road, to try to determine where the shooting occurred.
Ramos said homicide investigators have begun an investigation but have no information regarding the circumstances of the shooting. Several associates of the victim have been detained for questioning, but officials do not know the motive for the shooting. Investigators are considering the possibility that the shooting was gang-related, and members of the Sheriff's Gang Suppression Unit are assisting in the investigation.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (916) 874-5115, Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357, or send a text message to 274637, then enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
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