[UPDATE] ‘I Witnessed a Shooting in Front of the Tea Gardens in Arcata’

UntitledA young Arcata woman said she stood between a shooter and his two intended victims last night about 8:40 p.m. when she was walking on 11th Street.

“I witnessed a shooting in front of the Tea Gardens…,” explained Jade Simmons. She said she was walking west when she saw two men “running up a grassy embankment.” They were so close, she said, “I thought they were going to run into me.”

Another person was coming towards her. “There was guy in front of me,” she explained. “He had a handgun.” The man shot past her twice towards the two running men.

“I ran and I think…he shot again,” Simmons said. She rushed past the shooter, she explained because she thought he was focused on getting the running men and not her. She said she wanted to get out of the way. When Simmons had gone about a block west, she said she turned around and saw the two running men getting into the back of a sedan.

“I think there must have been someone in the driver’s seat,” Simmons said because the sedan took off. It had been facing west but it turned around and left towards the east. She described the participants in this shooting incident as young–about college age.

Arcata Police confirmed they received at least one report of shots being fired near the intersection of 11th and F Streets at approximately 8:40 p.m.  According to scanner traffic at the time, at least one person reported hearing two shots. A spokesperson for Arcata Police declined to answer any questions about the incident on Tuesday night. “We haven’t finished investigating,” the spokesperson said.

Simmons, the young woman, said that after the shooting, she went to a nearby business and reported what happened in a call to law enforcement.

According to Simmons, the whole incident “seems pretty alarming for a Tuesday night.”

UPDATE: Press release from Arcata Police:

Officers contacted a witness who saw two subjects running up the dirt embankment from the Tea Garden Apartments (1120 F St) to 11th St.  Moments later a third subject ran out from the area of the Tea Garden Apartments and fired two gun shots at the first two subjects.
The two subjects were last seen getting into a tan or gold sedan, similar to an early 1990’s Toyota Corolla.  The vehicle then left the area eastbound on 11th St.  The third subject, who fired the shots, left the area in an unknown direction.
The shooting suspect is described as a Black Male Adult approximately 20-25 years old 6 feet tall with a slim build.  He was last seen wearing a white hooded sweatshirt and a baseball style hat.
Officers checked the area and found bullet casings on the ground near where the witness reported the shots.  There was no evidence found on scene of anybody being struck by one of the bullets.
If anybody witnessed the crime or knows the whereabouts of either the victims or the suspect, please contact the Arcata Police Department.

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Note: illustration from City of Arcata and here. 

 

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Hick
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Hick
8 years ago

So they were “intended victims”, and not victims? In other words, luckily they were “the gang that couldn’t shoot straight”. If that’s the case, I’m happy nobody got hurt. By stander or “intended victims”. “This city needs an enema!”.

hmmm
Guest
hmmm
8 years ago
Reply to  Hick

Not many can shoot straight, even those who practice at the range have a hard time when the pressure on.

brent
Guest
brent
8 years ago

obviously the shooter was from a city or he would have hit them. They should be charged for endangering the girl They likely ran towards her intentionally. I saw the same thing in SF in 2008 a man sold a guy a piece of dove bar soap claiming it was crack and the guy pulled out a 32 caliber and chased him down Taylor Street in the tenderloin shooting him in the butt. He ran into a crowd of woman coming from a church who had baby’s in stollers. He shot him 4 times mainly in the buttocks they caught him down the street.

jimmyschmok@yahoo.com
Guest
8 years ago
Reply to  brent

Your logic is just amazing,…
I personally would like to know if you had any calls from the secret service agencies yet trying to recruit you,..?

Still cracking up
Guest
Still cracking up
8 years ago

Lol^^funniest reply I have ever read!!

tootoo
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tootoo
8 years ago

Yep saw same things in LA. HSU freshman class 70% from LA last semester. Do the math.
Arcata has to cover up these things to make HSU seem like a safe place to go to school, which for the most part it is. And to keep the top five places to live rating.

I grew up in a high school where they covered up all sorts of things to keep their “status” in the community.

Would this have made the news without this woman coming forward? I bet not.
Its pretty shocking to see what arcata has become once you look a little deeper, &its not the homeless who are the problem.

Whenever a college puts more money into sports programs, cover ups to protect those programs abound. There are literally thousands of instances online. I’m not saying these were HSU students, but other shootings like the drive by in arcata were linked to a few players. Anyone ever hear anything else about that shooting in north town arcata last year? Highly doubt it, swept under rug.
Its hard to change when you’re used to settling all your problems with violence, & if you have never lived like that its hard to understand.
I hope HSU will start informing new students about how our area works and advise them to stop bringing their city ways here and if they dont wanna adapt then please move somewhere else

jimmyschmok@yahoo.com
Guest
8 years ago
Reply to  tootoo

How on earth is top five even possible when that quaint little town has eureka as its neighbor,…

Food for thought
Guest
Food for thought
8 years ago

Looking foreward more and more to moving. I’m absolutely appalled at what’s going on here. Pay raise for the supervisors but zombies litter the streets? This place is flooded with money but no one gives a shit about what’s happening to this community. The rich get richer and less and less involved. Just look at so hum, they got women walking the streets on their own tryin to clean up the riff raff while the lazy boys of so hum stay home and count stacks. Depressing.

jimmyschmok@yahoo.com
Guest
8 years ago

The super are just as money hungry as the tweekers, that are looking to score …

jimmyschmok@yahoo.com
Guest
8 years ago

You nailed it!

dgale
Guest
dgale
8 years ago

Alarming for a Tuesday Night? As a 32-year resident of Arcata and a home owner directly across the Highway from this location, I’d say this is alarming any night of the week.

G-ma
Guest
G-ma
8 years ago

Shooting firearms in the city limits is illegal period!I’d say the women is a lucky person wow

saucy
Guest
saucy
8 years ago

I’m all for gun control…I use both hands!

jimmyschmok@yahoo.com
Guest
8 years ago
Reply to  saucy

Gun control to allow a man in uniform to have one but not the citizen?
[edit]

Vigilante
Guest
Vigilante
8 years ago

The woman’s name should be removed immediately due to the pending investigation, and respect for her safety.

Z
Guest
Z
8 years ago

Kym, Please remove her name no matter what the APD says. ” Vigilante” is right; her safety could be jeopardized. Dudes shooting guns in town don’t want witnesses. Thanks so much. Maybe she’s in too much shock to ask you to; that’s definitely possible. You are a kind person; you will feel terrible if she suffers any repercussions.

Liz
Guest
Liz
8 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

Did you ask her if she wanted her name in the news? Once, when I was attacked the Law told me they would misspell my name for my protection but, it would be public information.