Two people were shot and killed at a Monterey County gas station, including the daughter of a former\u00a0Soledad mayor, officials said.<\/p>\n
The shooting happened at a Fastrip gas station on Monday, the Greenfield Police Department said in a Facebook post<\/a> that didn’t name the victims. An officer “arrived on scene just 53 seconds after the initial 911 call,” the post said, but officials did not say what led up to the shooting.<\/p>\n The two people\u00a0were identified by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Coroner Office<\/a> in a statement Tuesday as Elizabeth\u00a0Saavedra, a 32-year-old Soledad resident, and Aldo Juan Mandujano, a 26-year-old King City resident.<\/p>\n Guillermo Mixer<\/a>, the Greenfield police chief, told SFGATE by email Thursday that the motive appears to be “gang-related” but investigators saw no reason to think\u00a0Saavedra was associated with gangs in any way.<\/p>\n Mixer called the shooting a “tragic situation in our small community.” Police Tuesday told\u00a0KSBW-TV<\/a> that the two victims, identified as a couple, were pumping gas when multiple gunmen fired as much as 30 rounds.<\/p>\n “It appears to be an ambush, a very deliberate attack on both occupants,” Mixer told the outlet.<\/p>\n Investigators believe the shooting may have been intended as an act of retaliation after a King City man was killed in May on his way to his daughter’s soccer game in\u00a0Soledad, KSBW-TV reported. There is currently no known threat to the public, the police department said on Facebook.<\/p>\n Multiple city and county leaders have spoke out following the shooting, including Soledad Mayor Anna Velazquez<\/a>.\u00a0Saavedra was the daughter of former Soledad Mayor John Saavedra, Velazquez said in a Facebook post<\/a>\u00a0Tuesday. She also extended her condolences to\u00a0Mandujano’s family.<\/p>\n “Our hearts are broken by the tragic and senseless loss of Elizabeth Saavedra,” Velazquez wrote. “… As a mayor and as a mother, this heartbreaking tragedy is difficult to comprehend. The loss of a life so full of kindness, generosity, and love is devastating to our entire community.”<\/p>\n Saavedra grew up in Soledad, according to Velazquez, and\u00a0taught folkl\u00f3rico dance with Baile Folkl\u00f3rico Costa de California, a dance company based in Salinas. “We are going to miss you very much,” an Instagram\u00a0post from the dance company<\/a> read. Saavedra also owned a barbershop,\u00a0according to\u00a0KSBW-TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n A GoFundMe page,<\/a> which has raised more than $14,500 out of its $16,000 goal as of Friday morning, says Saavedra was the mother of twin 4-year-old boys. A flyer<\/a>\u00a0that Velazquez shared with\u00a0SFGATE shows that memorial services for Saavedra are planned for\u00a0July 2 and 3.<\/p>\n “This is a very challenging time,” Velazquez told SFGATE in an email.<\/p>\n Chris Lopez, a Monterey County supervisor, also commented<\/a> on Saavedra’s death, saying she had a “heartbeat full of more to give.”<\/p>\n “We pray for those she leaves behind and promise to do all we can so that cycles break and perpetrators meet justice,” Lopez wrote. “Don’t become numb, don’t let it feel like a normal occurrence. Allow the gravity and weight of the moment to pour over and through you and vow to be a part of the solution.”<\/p>\n Authorities are still investigating the shooting and reviewing surveillance footage, including Flock camera footage, police said on Facebook Tuesday. The Greenfield Police Department is looking to speak with anyone who was at the gas station when the shooting happened and is asking the public to upload any related images or videos<\/a> to its website. Anyone with information about the shooting is also urged to contact the police department at (831) 385-8311.<\/p>\n More News<\/p>\n – New fault capable of massive California earthquakes discovered<\/a> Sign up for\u00a0daily SFGATE breaking news alerts here.<\/a><\/p>\n This article originally published at Former California mayor’s daughter 1 of 2 killed in gas station shooting<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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