Slaying of 2 Teenage Boys Puzzles Police

Police said they are mystified by an early evening shooting that left two teenage boys dead near Washington Park in Pomona.

Neighbors in a nearby apartment complex in the 1300 block of South San Antonio Avenue called police about 7:30 p.m. Monday after they heard several gunshots, Pomona Police Sgt. Ron McDonald said.

When police arrived, they found the bodies of the two boys, determined to be 15 and 16 years old, in a vacant lot across the street from a convenience store. No weapons were found at the scene, and the slaying does not appear to be gang-related, police said.

“We have nothing,” McDonald said. “Absolutely zero.”

The coroner’s office identified the bodies, but out of respect to the victims’ parents, Pomona police detectives withheld the youths’ names.

“We made a decision because of emotions to do what we can for the family,” McDonald said.

Residents and business owners in the heavily populated neighborhood were equally reluctant to give information.

Several residents interviewed by police said they had heard the gunshots, but police have not yet found eyewitnesses, McDonald said.

“The concern right now is why,” he said. “What were they involved in?”