Two teens wounded after fistfight leads to gunfire in Santa Rosa

Two teens were wounded when gunfire erupted during a fistfight outside an apartment complex off Piner Road in Santa Rosa late Sunday, police officials said.

Gang detectives were investigating the shooting, which led to a flood of 911 calls starting at ?10:11 p.m. at the Pioneer 2000 Apartments on Pioneer Way between Piner Road and Pinecrest Drive, police officials said.

Police found the two wounded teens - ages 18 and 19 - at the complex, Sgt. Tommy Isachsen said. The 19-year-old Santa Rosa resident was rushed into surgery and remained in critical condition, he said. The 18-year-old resident of Santa Rosa suffered lesser injuries, and was in stable condition.

Isachsen declined to identify the victims, saying no arrests had been made and the disclosure might “upset the investigation.”

The incident was “absolutely gang-related,” he said, noting that “gang challenges” had prompted the fistfight. Investigators have been working nonstop on the case and are pursuing leads, he said.

Police suspect the injured teens were at the apartment complex when “a vehicle pulled up and a fistfight broke out among several subjects,” Isachsen said earlier in a news statement.

“During the fistfight, numerous area residents reported seeing and hearing multiple gunshots being fired and then a vehicle fleeing the area,” he said.

A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered by the Sonoma County Alliance “Take Back our Community Program” for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspects in the shooting.

Anyone with information about gang activities can leave anonymous messages with the Santa Rosa police at 707-543-4264.