Man killed in Santa Rosa park shooting tried to protect friends during attack, father says

Connor Bundock spent his early childhood in Thailand before moving to Santa Rosa in 2012 and building friendships wherever he went to school.

His education was slowed since English wasn’t his first language, but the 19-year-old worked hard and was supposed to graduate from John Muir Charter Schools’ Youth Connections Santa Rosa in June.

Loved ones are instead planning funeral services for Bundock, who was fatally shot Saturday while with his friends at Hilliard Comstock Northwest Community Park.

“He saw they were in trouble and tried to protect them,“ said his father, Santa Rosa resident Patrick Bundock, who met Connor’s mother in Thailand about 30 years ago.

Funeral services are scheduled for 3 p.m. April 16 at Daniels Chapel of the Roses Funeral Home in Santa Rosa. Loved ones have started a gofundme.com fundraiser to cover costs.

Santa Rosa police are still looking for two people believed responsible for the shooting, which appears to have been a random attack yards from the victim’s former middle school.

Connor Bundock was with his friends near one of the park’s baseball fields when the two unidentified individuals approached and made “gang challenges,” according to Santa Rosa police.

They got into an argument with Connor Bundock and one of them fatally shot him before fleeing, police said.

The baseball field became a site of a makeshift memorial for the victim, who is survived by several family members, including two older siblings.

“They’re grieving. Connor was a really sweet boy and he’s missed by so many people,” his father said.

Patrick Bundock described his son as a “tinkerer” who enjoyed working with his hands and building things, including bicycles.

The younger Bundock aspired to travel around the world and possibly join the U.S. military.

He attended several schools over the years, including Hilliard Comstock Middle School, Piner High School and Pivot Charter School. He made friends at each school and brought people together to form a group that enjoyed music and playing guitar.

“He was kind of the glue,” said Patrick Bundock, who added that his son was very protective of his friends.

Comstock Middle School Principal Laura Hendrickson recalled Connor Bundock as a shy and polite child when she first met him in 2015.

He attended the school through the seventh and eighth grades and was well-liked by students and staff. Although English wasn’t his first language, he still maintained a 3.5 grade point average, she said.

“He was a really good kid, just a really good kid,” Hendrickson added.

Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Chris Mahurin said Saturday’s shooting isn’t representative of Northwest Community Park and that it is still safe for people to visit.

It wasn’t very busy when the shooting occurred and police are still trying to identify the people involved in Connor Bundock’s shooting, he said.

They were described as Latino boys or men between the ages of 17 and 21.

One of them was described as between 5 feet, 3 inches and 5 feet, 4 inches tall, 130 pounds, with black hair and a thin mustache. He was wearing a black sweatshirt, dark pants and black shoes, police said.

The other was between 5 feet, 6 inches and 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 140 pounds, with black hair. He was wearing a black sweatshirt and dark pants.

The incident marked Santa Rosa’s third homicide of 2022.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi