Article Last Updated: 03/05/2007 10:47:37 PM PST
HAYWARD — Two 4-year-old sisters were "gravely wounded" Monday night in a drive-by shooting in the Tennyson-Alquire neighborhood, police said. The girls, whose identities were not released because they are minors, remained in critical condition late Monday night at Children's Hospital Oakland, where they were being treated for gunshots to the head, said Hayward police Lt. Reid Lindblom.
Their 3-year-old brother also was grazed by a bullet, Lindblom said, but he was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated and released.
Three men, described as either Hispanic or black, drove by the front of the house at 27744 Seminole Way about 6:20 p.m. in a dark-colored Chrysler 300 sedan when gunfire aimed at the house sprayed the children, Lindblom said.
Witnesses said they heard four or five shots fired while three adults and the children were standing in the front yard.
The shooting scene was chaotic, Lindblom said, and investigators had not determined a motive.
"We're not sure at this point what the motive for the shooting was, if the house was a target or the people in the front yard," Lindblom said. "But we don't think the children were intentionally shot at."
"Nearly the entire force" of police officers canvassed the neighborhood for hours investigating the shooting, Lindblom said.
No leads were found as police interviewed residents in the neighborhood, and the assailants remained at large. The shootings could have been gang-related, Lindblom added.
"This is a pretty despicable crime, anytime young kids are harmed like this," he said. "There's somebody out here who knows what happened. It would be very interesting to talk to that person, and they can remain anonymous." Residents near the Seminole Way house said shootings in the neighborhood were common in the past, but the violence seemed to have diminished in recent years.
Abdul Nisar, who has lived near Seminole Way for 10 years, said residents in the neighborhood get along well and the shooting was probably an isolated event.
In the more than 20 years Juan Arroyo has lived near Seminole Way, he has seen the waves of violence swell and then vanish.
But the shootings — mainly a result of the gangs prevalent in the area, he said — have been rare in recent years.
"It's been kind of great in the last couple of years. It's been a stable neighborhood," Arroyo said. "So this is a surprise to me. It's been a while."
HAYWARD — Two 4-year-old sisters were "gravely wounded" Monday night in a drive-by shooting in the Tennyson-Alquire neighborhood, police said. The girls, whose identities were not released because they are minors, remained in critical condition late Monday night at Children's Hospital Oakland, where they were being treated for gunshots to the head, said Hayward police Lt. Reid Lindblom.
Their 3-year-old brother also was grazed by a bullet, Lindblom said, but he was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated and released.
Three men, described as either Hispanic or black, drove by the front of the house at 27744 Seminole Way about 6:20 p.m. in a dark-colored Chrysler 300 sedan when gunfire aimed at the house sprayed the children, Lindblom said.
Witnesses said they heard four or five shots fired while three adults and the children were standing in the front yard.
The shooting scene was chaotic, Lindblom said, and investigators had not determined a motive.
"We're not sure at this point what the motive for the shooting was, if the house was a target or the people in the front yard," Lindblom said. "But we don't think the children were intentionally shot at."
"Nearly the entire force" of police officers canvassed the neighborhood for hours investigating the shooting, Lindblom said.
No leads were found as police interviewed residents in the neighborhood, and the assailants remained at large. The shootings could have been gang-related, Lindblom added.
"This is a pretty despicable crime, anytime young kids are harmed like this," he said. "There's somebody out here who knows what happened. It would be very interesting to talk to that person, and they can remain anonymous." Residents near the Seminole Way house said shootings in the neighborhood were common in the past, but the violence seemed to have diminished in recent years.
Abdul Nisar, who has lived near Seminole Way for 10 years, said residents in the neighborhood get along well and the shooting was probably an isolated event.
In the more than 20 years Juan Arroyo has lived near Seminole Way, he has seen the waves of violence swell and then vanish.
But the shootings — mainly a result of the gangs prevalent in the area, he said — have been rare in recent years.
"It's been kind of great in the last couple of years. It's been a stable neighborhood," Arroyo said. "So this is a surprise to me. It's been a while."
