Fairfield Police Increase Patrols After Deadly Shooting Near Armijo High School

FAIRFIELD (CBS13) — Security at a Fairfield high school was increased after a deadly shooting near the campus prompted a lockdown on Friday.

Fairfield Police identified 16-year-old Ahmar Willis as the victim. An 18-year-old man was also shot and remained in critical condition.

Police described the scene as a gun battle between two groups blocks from Armijo High School. After the suspects fled, police locked down the school during the junior varsity game on Friday night. One of the suspects tried to blend in with evacuated students in the school's gym.

The shooting has Stockton City Councilwoman Catherine Perez Moy raising money to make sure student-athletes at Armijo High don't end up on the streets.

"I was horrified!" she said.

She described the scene at Armijo High Friday night, as controlled mayhem.

"Parents clogged all the streets around here trying to get to their children, it was frantic," Moy said.

The JV football game was about start, then shots rang out about a block away, forcing hundreds to evacuate the field, into the school gym. Photos posted on social media showed students ordered by police to keep their hands on top of their heads, as they walked to the gym.

"It chills you to the bone," Moy added.

Fairfield Police say two groups of young men got into a shootout, then two suspects were on the loose.

"We called for a closure of the campus," said Lt. Greg Hurlbut.

Hurlbut says the active shooter training it did with the school a few months ago was put to the test.

"At least one person from the shooting had run onto campus and got into the crowd and was in the gym," Hurlbut added.

Hurlbut says it was the school's vigilance Friday night, that foiled the suspect's plan of blending in. Both suspects were arrested that night, but the incident cost the sports booster team about $1,000.

"A lot of our kids can not afford sports, they cannot afford it, and if we don't help them, they could end up as our poor young man ended up on the streets and gone," Moy said.

Moy stepped up and launched her own fundraiser. As of Monday, she raised triple the amount that was lost.

"You wanna back up and say, 'How could I have helped that kid?'" Moy concluded.

The JV football game is rescheduled for Tuesday. Fairfield police officers will step up their presence even more during these games and over the next few weeks.