Family remembers Mateo Vallejo, one of four teens shot in greater Sacramento area in three days
VACAVILLE -- A memorial was held Friday night for Mateo Vallejo, 16, as a shrine made up of candles, flowers and photos of the teen grew in size.
Family and friends gathered to remember Mateo where his life was cut short on Thursday, May 11, after gunfire rang out near an apartment complex on Meadows Drive in Vacaville.
"We should not be having to bury a 16-year-old boy," said one of Mateo's aunts, Stephanie Vallejo.
Family says he was walking to an apartment when someone shot him, in broad daylight, in the head.
"For this to happen to him, it's not right. It's not right at all," said another aunt, Tera Smith, through tears.
They remember Mateo as a caring, good kid who loved dogs and his family. He was the only child of his devoted mother. Family members say they will miss his smile, laugh and hugs.
They are turning their attention now to inspiring change, asking why this keeps happening.
"It's just the guns. The guns, number one," said Stephanie Vallejo.
"Nothing is happening to prevent it. It's just another person on the news," said cousin Alana Vallejo.
Mateo is one of four local teenagers, in four cities, all shot in a span of just three days.
- On May 10 in Yuba City, a 15-year-old was shot and killed. His 16-year-old brother turned himself in to police and is now charged with murder.
- On May 10 in North Sacramento, a boy aged 16 or 17 was shot while getting off a school bus and survived. No arrest has been made.
- On May 11 in Vacaville, Mateo was shot and killed on Meadows Drive. No arrest has been made.
- On May 12 in Stockton, a 13-year-old was shot and killed. His 16-year-old brother is now charged with manslaughter, among other charges that make it seem the shooting was not intentional.
"When does it stop? And who is accountable?" asked Jason Lee, an advocate for youth and Hollywood blogger.
Lee, a Stockton native now living in Los Angeles, is working to launch new youth programming called "I am Ready" in his hometown, then nationwide. He believes investing in the lives of at-risk kids will turn the tide.
He shared strong words for any city's leaders who aren't actively working toward a solution.
"You have to understand that the blood of every child that's killed in your community lies on your hands," said Lee.
As another family mourns another young life lost, the question shared is when will it end?
"Get these guns away from the kids. Stop however they are getting them. Stop the kid-on-kid violence. It's unnecessary," said Jessica Flynn, a cousin of Mateo Vallejo.
The Vacaville Police Department said that same night, a 17-year-old also went to a local hospital, also with a gunshot wound. That person was later arrested and faces charges of murder and the unlawful discharge of a firearm.