Concord police identify teen fatally shot in park

CONCORD, Calif. (KTVU) - Authorities in Concord are investigating the city’s fourth homicide in four months after a teen was found shot to death at Hillcrest Park early Tuesday morning.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Concord Police identified the victim as 16-year-old Luis Estrada of Martinez.

Corporal Chris Blakely with Concord Police said they received a call at around 12:05 a.m. Tuesday from a homeless man who came across a body at Hillcrest Park. Authorities said it was unusual to have a homicide at the park and unusual that nearby residents did not call to report hearing the sound of gunshots or firecrackers.

This is the fourth homicide since September in Concord. The other three happened along Monument Boulevard. Blakely said it had been 11 months since the city had the year’s first homicide in September.

 “We do feel we have a safe community out here,” he said.

Blakely said detectives are working leads and working on making arrests in all four cases.

 “Right now we want to see, once we identify the victim, if this is linked to any of those cases or anything else in surrounding cities,” Blakely said.

At this point, there is no motive for the shooting and there is no indication yet that it is gang related.

Parents at the park said it would not stop them from bringing their children to play at Matteo’s Dream Playground, a park for children with all abilities, just steps from where the shooting happened.

 “I don’t see myself cancelling this park out because it’s one of the better parks in Concord,” a mother who wished to remain anonymous said.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Detective Adam Hart at 925-671-3040. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call the tip-line at 925-603-5836.