2 teens arrested in deadly SF shooting of 15-year-old girl as school holds memorial in her honor
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Two teens have been arrested after a shooting that killed 15-year-old Jayda Mabrey, and injured two other youths in San Francisco's Western Addition neighborhood on Friday evening, police announced Tuesday.
The shooting was reported at 5:13 p.m. Friday in the area of Golden Gate Avenue and Laguna Street, where officers arrived and found three shooting victims under the age of 18. One died at a hospital while the other two are expected to survive, according to San Francisco police.
"It's devastating to see suspects this young engaged in this kind of violence," said San Francisco Police Chief Derrick Lew.
RELATED: 1 juvenile killed, 2 others injured in shooting in San Francisco, police say
A GoFundMe account has been set up on behalf of the family of Mabrey. The account has raised nearly $26,000 as of Tuesday morning.
"Jayda was a bright, fun-loving young girl who meant everything to those who knew her," the organizer of the fundraiser wrote. "She was a beloved daughter, sister, friend, and so much more. Her smile, laughter, and kind spirit touched so many lives, and her absence has left an unimaginable void."
The GoFundMe page said she "was tragically shot after school" and "was an innocent bystander, caught in the crossfire."
RELATED: Candlelight vigil held for 15-year-old girl killed in crossfire of SF shooting
Two other young girls were also shot - police didn't specify if they and the suspects knew each other.
Mabrey attended school at Gateway High School and her death has shaken this community.
On Tuesday night, students, educators, as well as her family gathered for a memorial in her honor.
Ahead of the vigil, many people poured into the school's auditorium.
Several students told us they first heard about Mabrey's death from friends.
"When she first told me I didn't really know. I was like who's that? Because I wasn't really paying attention when she said it. But then I was like oh my God, that's Jayda," said Taliah Clayton.
Whether they knew her or not, everyone we spoke with said it was important for them to be at the memorial.
Police eventually identified two possible suspects in the shooting, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old. Both were arrested Monday and booked into San Francisco's Juvenile Justice Center on suspicion of homicide, police said. Their names are not being released because they are juveniles.
San Francisco Police didn't release any details about a potential motive in the shooting, except that it followed an argument.
But advocates say the situation is tragic for everyone involved.
"I think we as a society have failed our young people," said Donald Lacy.
Lacy is the executive director of the Oakland-based LoveLife Foundation.
He believes local leaders need to do more to address the root causes of youth violence.
"We need to invest in programs like conflict resolution mediation where young people have a mediator to negotiate whatever sort of disagreement or squabble there may be," said Lacy.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the SFPD tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to send a tip by text message to TIP411 with SFPD at the start of the message.
Bay City News contributed to this report
