Five people were injured in two back-to-back shootings, one which might be gang related, in East Village late Monday night, San Diego police said.

The first happened on the corner of 15th Street and Island Avenue about 11 p.m, police Capt. Mike Holden said. Three men and one woman were standing on the east sidewalk, just north of Island, when two men walked up to them and started firing.

One resident who lives in a nearby building, Patricia Botello, said the shooting “went on and on like it wasn’t going to stop.”

Officers found all four victims suffering from gunshot wounds. Two had serious injuries, but all four are expected to survive, Holden said.


The assailants were seen running east on Island Avenue. They are suspected of shooting a fifth person — a man — on Island near Interstate 5, about one-tenth of a mile from the initial shooting, the captain said.

Detectives are investigating whether the initial shooting was gang related. It’s unclear what the motivation for the second shooting might be, Holden said.

Police don’t believe the fifth man knew the other four victims. That victim’s injuries were not believed to be serious.

As of 9 a.m., no arrests had been made in the shootings.


Witnesses described the suspects as black, between the ages of 19 and 25, and at least 6 feet tall. They were wearing black clothing and dark hoodies, and at least one of the men was armed with a firearm, Holden said.

“They are just starting their investigation here. We are trying to interview witnesses that are here,” Holden told San Diego News Video early Tuesday morning. He said he didn’t know if the victims had been targeted or picked at random.

The East Village area was quickly flooded with officers. A stretch of Island Avenue between 15th and 19th streets remained closed for hours.

Officers on Tuesday morning found a vehicle on 15th Street that may have been hit by a stray bullet in the shooting, said police Lt. Brent Williams.


This is the third shooting incident to occur in two days. On Sunday afternoon, two men were fatally shot in front of the Mountain View Recreation Center. Then, about seven hours later, a man was shot and killed in Logan Heights.

“Currently the San Diego Police Department is working around the clock investigating the three recent shooting incidents that have occurred, and are putting all our available resources toward these investigations,” Williams said.

The department’s gang unit will be handling the investigation into Monday’s shooting.

Police officials are asking anyone with information about the shootings to call the San Diego Police Department on its non-emergency line at (619) 531-2000 or at Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.



Twitter: @LAWinkley

(619) 293-1546

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com

UPDATES:


9:15 a.m.: This article was updated with additional details.

6:25 a.m.: This article was updated with additional details.

3:00 a.m.: This article was updated with additional details

This article was originally published on May 7 at 11:20 p.m.