Law enforcement warns parents after 13-year-old killed in Madera quinceañera

MADERA, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – An ongoing investigation in Madera is making progress after a 16-year-old was arrested and charged with homicide.

On July 6, a fight broke out at a quinceañera. A 13-year-old and a 15-year-old were stabbed and another teen was hit in the head with a blunt object. The 13-year-old died of his injuries.

“During that celebration, there was a fight that broke out between rival gang members. Not everyone there was a gang member, but there was a couple of different groups of gang members in attendance,” Madera Police Department Commander Josiah Arnold said.

The 16-year-old was taken into custody two days after the incident on an unrelated charge. But after detectives did some digging, they were able to name the 16-year-old as a suspect in the homicide case.

“It’s still an ongoing investigation and it also involves minors. And so there’s not a lot of detail in the homicide investigation,” Commander Arnold said.

Because of the involvement of gang members at a party filled with kids, Commander Arnold has a strong message for parents.

“If parents notice that their kids are suddenly wearing a lot of red or a lot of blue or associating with the letter N or M or the numbers 14 or 13 and these are just a few common gang identifiers in our area. But if parents notice that type of behavior, they’re welcome to call law enforcement any agency that they may live in,” Commander Arnold said.

Commander Arnold was also shocked by the lack of help law enforcement received from the homicide witnesses.

“One of the frustrating things in this case was the lack of cooperation from, frankly, children who were on scene. These people, even during the gang fight, seem to be having a great time, and we’re oblivious to the fact that someone could lose their life and ultimately did lose their life,” Commander Arnold said.

It’s still unclear if the 16-year-old will be charged as a juvenile or as an adult.

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