Bakersfield teen football player, 16, shot dead at Halloween party
William Aviles, a 16-year-old tight end at North High School in Bakersfield, was fatally shot at a Halloween party early Saturday. Police are seeking video footage from witnesses.
Bakersfield football player, 16, killed at Halloween party
William Aviles, a 16-year-old North High School football player, was fatally shot at a Halloween party in Bakersfield, California, in the early hours of Saturday morning, NY Post Metro reports.
Officers responded at approximately 3:35 a.m. to 3500 S Half Moon Drive, where they found Aviles with severe gunshot injuries. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died.
Aviles played tight end and defensive lineman for North High School. According to a GoFundMe established in his name, he grew up in a working-class household with his parents and three younger sisters, and harbored ambitions for a prosperous future.
"William was a force of nature," the fundraiser reads. "He had a bigger-than-life, magnetic personality that commanded every room he walked into. He possessed a wisdom and maturity that went far beyond his 16 years."
The North High School football team announced his death in a statement posted online. "It is with deep sorrow and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of former football player William Aviles. His life, memory, and impact will never be forgotten," the team wrote, extending prayers to his family.
The GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $8,100 toward a $14,000 goal.
Numerous bystanders witnessed and recorded the shooting, Bakersfield police told FOX 26. Investigators are urging anyone who captured video of the incident to submit it to authorities. Detectives have not yet identified a suspect.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Matthew Guerra at 661-326-3872 or the Bakersfield Police Department at 661-327-7111.
The killing follows a separate fatal shooting in Bakersfield in late August, when 17-year-old high school quarterback Levi Brown was gunned down during a football game. A 15-year-old male suspect was subsequently arrested; police determined the two had known each other and that the attack "was not a random act of violence."
Source: NY Post Metro