GoFundMe fundraisers for two teenagers killed in a shooting at a Moss Landing beach in Monterey County early Monday have been set up to support their families.
Two Salinas teens, 15-year-old Marco Antonio Perez and 13-year-old Nathaniel Flores, were pronounced dead at the scene at Moss Landing State Beach after a shooting was reported shortly before 2 a.m. Monday.
Monterey County sheriff’s deputies, California Highway Patrol officers, and state park rangers responded to a person’s report of hearing gunshots at about 2 a.m. The Sheriff’s Office had earlier said the shooting happened just after midnight.
As of Thursday, the Sheriff’s Office has not announced information surrounding the circumstances of the shooting or if authorities had arrested any suspects.
Janet Tellez, who launched the GoFundMe for Perez, wrote on the fundraiser page that Perez “tragically and unjustly lost his life,” translated from Spanish.
“His loss has left immense pain in his family, friends, and loved ones,” reads the GoFundMe page, translated into English. “No one is ever prepared to face such a difficult situation, much less to say goodbye to someone in such an unexpected way.”
Donations are being accepted to help the family with funeral expenses and other related costs.
As of Thursday, it has raised nearly $6,000 of the $11,000 goal.
A GoFundMe page for Flores, who would have turned 14 years old Friday, was set up by his football team with the Steinbeck Tigers Youth Football and Cheer organization in Salinas.
“Nate was just 13 years old, a member of our Midgets football team, a son, a teammate, and a friend,” the page reads. “His unexpected passing has left his family, teammates, coaches, and our entire Steinbeck community heartbroken.”
Donations from the fundraiser will go toward funeral and memorial expenses and other financial support for his family.
“While nothing can take away the pain of losing Nate, we hope to ease some of the burdens his family now faces and remind them that they are surrounded by a community that cares,” the page reads.
The GoFundMe for Flores has so far raised about $13,700, with a goal of $26,000.
The shooting also injured two others. The third victim was brought to a hospital with injuries described as not-life-threatening, and a fourth victim arrived at the hospital on their own while the response was underway.
