Sycamore Drive is a mile-long corridor north of Highway 4 in Antioch. Areas near the road, including Mahogany Way, Peppertree Way and L Street, have been the location of nearly a dozen shootings, starting with the Sept. 3 killing of 21-year-old Elijah Scales near Sycamore.
An 18-year-old is in critical condition after being shot in the world of Cavallo Road and Sunset Drive, two miles east of Sycamore, on Sept. 20. Antioch police consider the shootings are related because there have been eight shootings in the identical area in five days.
Police have increased patrols in the world, but Hernandez-Thorpe says that will not be enough to stop the violence. In a Saturday video Hernandez-Thorpe posted on the mayor's Instagram page that the shootings were “retaliatory” and said police were investigating the incidents in relation to gang rivalries.
He has asked the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office to help Antioch police by making a Safe Streets Task Force, a partnership between federal, state and native law enforcement to combat street gangs and specific violent crimes. “These gangs have no regard for human life, they have no regard for law enforcement, they have no regard for you or me,” Hernandez-Thorpe said within the video.
He also called on regional law enforcement officials to help Antioch in policing the Sycamore Corridor and Cavallo Road and asked Governor Gavin Newsom to help in deploying California Highway Patrol officers.
“No residents should live in fear, absolutely no one, especially not in the city of Antioch,” Hernandez-Thorpe said within the video.
Hernandez-Thorpe said if the violence doesn’t subside, he’ll proceed to push for “tougher actions and measures,” including restricting access to the Sycamore Corridor and Cavallo Road, imposing a curfew and asking the governor to deploy the National Guard.
In the meantime, Antioch police are patrolling the corridor, in accordance with a Sept. 17 department press release.
“This wave of violence will not be tolerated,” said interim chief Brian Addington. “We have restructured our staffing structure and assigned two police officers to patrol the Sycamore Corridor for at least the next seven days. The goal of this measure is to reduce gun violence and provide a sense of security to the community and local businesses.”
Anyone with information in regards to the shooting is asked to contact Investigative Sergeant Bill Whitaker via email at wwhitaker@antiochca.gov or by phone at 925-779-6876.
Originally published:
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