Funeral Held For 3-Year-Old Oakland Shooting Victim
OAKLAND (CBS SF) - A private funeral was held Tuesday morning for 3-year-old Carlos Nava at an East Oakland church near where the toddler was killed in a drive-by shooting last week.
Carlos was with family members when he was shot in the 6400 block of International Boulevard about 1:10 p.m. on Aug. 8.
Oakland police said they believe the shooting was gang-related and that two men nearby who were wounded in the shooting were the intended targets.
KCBS' Dave Padilla:
On his way into the funeral service Tuesday morning at St. Bernard's Church on 62nd Avenue, Oakland City Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente said Carlos' death means city leaders need to alter their approach.
"It's time to do more than just talk about crime and start taking action," De La Fuente said.
He said the city should consider taking steps including imposing curfews on young people and seeking more injunctions against gangs. Two such injunctions are already in place.
De La Fuente said Oakland has had nearly 75 homicides this year, a number that he said is "unacceptable."
Two people have been arrested in connection with the shooting. Police said they believe the shooter was 26-year-old Lawrence Denard, of Oakland, who was arrested in Pittsburg on Aug. 9.
Denard was arraigned on Thursday on one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. He is scheduled to return to court Aug. 29 to enter a plea.
Denard has prior convictions for grand theft and possession of a firearm by a felon.
A second man, 22-year-old Oakland resident Willie Torrence, was taken into custody late Friday night in Las Vegas. Police believe he was the driver.
Torrence was charged Tuesday with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. He was on parole for violating his probation for his previous conviction on illegal gun charges.
He is expected to be extradited to Alameda County later this week to be arraigned.
According to a probable cause statement filed in court by detectives, one of the men who was shot provided Torrence's name when he was questioned at the hospital where he is being treated.
Investigators also located an additional witness who identified the shooter as Denard.
Jordan said he does not know if the car that Torrence was using in Las Vegas is the same car that was used in the shooting last week.
According to a probable cause statement filed in Alameda County Superior Court, Torrence gave a taped statement to Oakland homicide investigators denying any involvement in the shooting incident.
In addition to his prior conviction on illegal gun charges, Torrence also was convicted of robbery when he was a juvenile and declared a ward of the juvenile court system, according to court records.
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