The family of Marco Antonio Perez, 15, has broken their silence after he was gunned down alongside another teenager on a Monterey County beach, describing their anguish in a fundraiser launched to cover his funeral.
Perez and Nathaniel Flores, 13, were found dead near Moss Landing State Beach shortly before 2 a.m. Monday after Monterey County authorities responded to reports of gunfire. Both boys were from Salinas, a city roughly 20 miles inland from the coastal shooting site.
“No one is ever prepared to face such a difficult situation, much less to say goodbye to someone in such an unexpected way,” the GoFundMe page established for Perez states. The fundraiser also notes that the 15-year-old “tragically and unjustly lost his life” in the early-morning violence.
A third victim suffered gunshot wounds and made their way to a local hospital, while a fourth person was transported with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to police. No suspects have been publicly identified, and authorities have not disclosed any motive.
Monterey County Sheriff Tina M. Nieto addressed the killings in a statement to KTVU. “This is a tragic incident that has resulted in the loss of two lives,” she said. “Our detectives are working to establish the circumstances surrounding what occurred. We ask anyone who may have information, regardless of how insignificant it may seem, to come forward and assist with this investigation.”
Flores, the younger victim, would have marked his 14th birthday this Friday. He played for the Steinbeck Tigers Youth Football team, which launched its own GoFundMe to support his family. “It is with profound sadness that the Steinbeck Tigers Youth Football & Cheer organization mourns the heartbreaking loss of one of our own, Nathaniel ‘Nate’ Flores,” the team’s fundraiser reads.
The organization added that “His unexpected passing has left his family, teammates, coaches, and our entire Steinbeck community heartbroken.”
Debris left at the scene offered hints of what preceded the bloodshed. Investigators found trash, alcohol containers, red plastic cups, and a speaker in the area where the teens died, though officials have not said whether the gathering was organized or how many people were present when shots rang out.
Perez’s family is seeking $5,000 through their GoFundMe to defray funeral costs and other expenses stemming from his death. The page makes no mention of what brought the 15-year-old to the beach in the middle of the night.
Law enforcement officials emphasized that the community faces no ongoing danger from an active shooter, though they have remained tight-lipped about whether they believe the attack was targeted or random. The investigation remains open.
The double homicide has shattered two Salinas families within days of what should have been a birthday celebration for Flores, leaving a youth sports league and a tight-knit agricultural city to grapple with the killing of two children on a stretch of coastline known more for sea otters and fishing boats than gun violence.