Only four months into 2025, Stockton has already recorded three homicides of young men, with two of the cases leading to the arrests of other youths.
Homicides overall are down this year, but death by gunfire has hit hard against the young. It also is accounting for many who have been wounded, including six shot Friday at a Stockton barbershop. One of the victims in that incident was 19.
When it comes to homicides, the most recent case was the shooting of a pair of 17-year-olds. Isaic Aromin-Quintoa of Stockton was fatally shot Wednesday night near Lafayette and San Joaquin streets. A companion who was not identified was also struck by gunfire, police said, and was in critical condition. No suspects have been named in the double shooting.
While last week’s fatal shooting occurred near the Crosstown Freeway, near an apartment building and a meat market, two of the other slayings took place in or near public parks.
Justice Booth, 20, was fatally shot in Oak Park on April 2 in the middle of the day. Police and the U.S. Marshals Task Force arrested two young men last week in connection with the case — Kamarion Smith, 18, and a 17-year-old who has not been identified because of his age. Both face murder charges, according to police.
On Feb. 1, another 17-year-old — Julian Martinez — was shot to death near Anderson Park. Three suspects — ages 13, 14 and 16 — have been arrested in connection with that case.
At a service for Martinez, family members said the boy had gone skateboarding at the park that Saturday night with a friend, CBS News in Sacramento reported. “He had his whole life ahead of him. He didn’t deserve this,” Martinez’s older sister, Alexis Montaño, told CBS News.
The crimes coincide with an overall drop in homicides. Aromin-Quintoa’s death is the ninth homicide of the year, compared to 14 this time last year, said Officer Omer Edhah, a Stockton police spokesman.
Despite the youth profiles of both the victims and the suspects, police do not believe the killings are linked, whether by gang violence or otherwise.
“These shootings do not appear to be connected,” Edhah said. But police say they are still investigating.
“We are not ruling out any of those motives at this time.” He urged anyone with information about the killings to anonymously call the Stockton Crime Stoppers hotline at (209) 946-0600.
The prevalence of young men involved in gun violence calls into question whether enough is being done to aid at-risk teens. Stockton has no shortage of programs dedicated to helping such youth.
Yet turning troubled lives around is a tough proposition.
“These children have significant obstacles they need to overcome, including but not limited to parental neglect, abandonment, and medical or psychological needs that their families cannot or will not deal with on their own,” the San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury found in reporting on at-risk youth in 2023.
The grand jury blamed the increasing number of at-risk kids, staffing issues at county facilities intended to house or service them, insufficient training for administrators and a lack of interagency cooperation as contributing factors.
“Unfortunately, no magical solutions exist to solve the problems affecting these youth,” the grand jury concluded.