HAYWARD — A teen girl shot and killed here late last month has been identified by police and family as a local resident who was looking forward to her 17th birthday.
Giselle Ortega, 16, was fatally shot July 29, outside an apartment complex on West Tennyson Road in Hayward. A man was also injured but survived, authorities said at the time.
Police say that multiple suspects pulled up in several vehicles, with at least one gunman wearing a mask and carrying a rifle. They appeared to be in the area looking for someone, but it’s not clear if Ortega was the intended target.
Ortega was struck at least once and transported to a hospital, where she died, authorities said. An online fundraising page in her memory says the family is “extremely devastated” and reeling from her death.
“She was a wonderful person, beautiful inside and out with a happy soul and a beautiful smile,” the page says.
Police have not announced any arrests nor said if they’ve pinpointed a motive. They say at least one of the vehicles used in the shooting was stolen.