Redlands police still seeking details about stooting suspect

REDLANDS – New Redlands Chief of Police, Mark Garcia, made a public plea on Wednesday for citizen’s help about a January 2011 shooting spree during which two teenagers were killed and two others injured – there has yet to be anyone arrested!

“I know there are people in this neighborhood,” said Garcia, “who know something and saw what happened. We’re asking you to please come forward and tell us what you know. No piece of information is too small.”

The city’s new chief, who came over from San Bernardino earlier this year where he served as assistant chief of police, acknowledged that fear is a likely deterrent for citizens to come forward.

Garcia had said Redlands investigators have exhausted all their leads. Responding to a question that police know who the shooter is but don’t have the evidence, he responded, “We’re not going to tell people what we have or don’t have.”

There is no known motive, he said .Garcia said he suspects that some residents know the name of the suspect who, according to reports, got out of a dark-colored, mid-to-late 1990s Honda Civic or Accord at around 7 p.m. on that night and began following the teens. He caught up with them in the playground area and fired multiple rounds.

The shootings occurred on a cold Wednesday night.

Quinn McCaleb, 17, ran three blocks before he collapsed and died. Andrew Jackson, 16, collapsed in the driveway and was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he died.

Two others were hospitalized after being shot, said to be still recovering. A fifth teen escaped without injury.

A fresh sketch of the possible suspect was released by Carl Baker, the city’s public information officer, in hopes of solving a case involving an attack on five male teen-agers as they walked through the Cinnamon Creek Apartments on Jan. 5.

The shooter is believed to be 17 to 20 years old.

Police also said they believe the suspect is 5-feet-5 inches tall, between 140 and 150 pounds with a thin build. The most recent police sketch has a few changes to the original version released in January. In that sketch, the suspect had a mustache.

Standing at the site of the shootings, next to a small playground off Oxford St., north of Colton Ave., Garcia was followed to the microphone by the mothers of two victims.

Shanita Williams-McCaleb, the mother of one of the dead victims, along with Gail Howard, the mother of one of the survivors, each made pleas to the public about coming forward with any information.

“My plea goes to the parents of the suspect,” said Howard, who has not spoken out until this week because of safety concerns. “You know what your child has done. In the name of Jesus, please come forward.”

Williams-McCaleb has been deluged with calls since the death of her son, but she called most of the possible motives or information about possible suspects as speculation.

“I’ve heard a lot of speculation,” she said. “I just want the facts.”

Howard said she’s hid for the past six months, “because I was afraid for myself. You don’t know what it feels like watching behind your back.”

Baker said investigators are looking into every lead.