A young boy was shot and paralyzed on an Oakland freeway. Now police say they know why
It was one of 14,554 reported vehicle thefts in Oakland that year. But police say it would set off a chain of events that led to a then- 8-year-old boy being shot and permanently paralyzed just two hours later, as he and his family unwittingly drove into a gang’s ambush on the freeway. Now, more than three years after the tragic shooting, Oakland police and the California Highway Patrol say they’ve pieced together how it happened, and why. Three men have been charged with attempted murder of Moreno, and paralyzing the child victim, who is now 11 years old, in the process. All three are allegedly part of Ghost Town, a notorious gang from West Oakland that made headlines last year for a brazen high-end robbery spree that reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars and left victims traumatized , according to court records.
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Get Morning Report and other email newsletters OAKLAND — Jesse Moreno allegedly crept up to a Mercedes Benz E550 as it pulled up to a parking spot on 48th Avenue and International Boulevard, then pulled out a pistol and forced the driver to give up her keys. Police later investigated him in several violent crimes, and he was arrested at Avenal State Prison, where he’s serving time for multiple nonfatal shootings, according to police.
