SANTA ROSA (KRON) — Santa Rosa police say that a suspected gang member shot a 16-year-old girl while she was walking with her friends in south Santa Rosa Monday evening.
Around 9:20 o.m., Santa Rosa police Sgt. John Cregan says his department got a call about gunshots in the 700 block of South Davis Street.
According to Cregan, witnesses said that six teens were walking near a playground when a Hispanic male in his late teens asked them, “what do you guys bang.” That is a common way of finding out if someone is in a particular gang.
When the group of teens denied being in a gang, the male teen pulled out a semi-automatic handgun, shouted a gang challenge and fired at least four shots as the group as they ran away, Cregan said.
The 16-year-old girl from Santa Rosa was shot in the leg. Her injuries are not considered to be life-threatening.
The shooter, who was wearing dark clothing, ran away and has not yet been found.
Anyone who witnessed the shooting is asked to call the Santa Rosa Police Department’s gang crime team at (707) 543-3670. The Sonoma County Alliance’s “Take Back Our Community Program” has offered a reward up to $2,500 for the arrest and conviction of the suspect, Cregan said.