Two teenagers who died in a shooting at Moss Landing State Beach were students in the Salinas Union High School District, according to the district superintendent and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office. Authorities identified them as Marco Antonio Perez, 15, and Nathaniel Flores, 13. Both were from Salinas.
The shooting happened at about 2 a.m. Monday on Jetty Road at the beach. Two other teenagers were injured in the same shooting. Their names have not been released, and the information provided did not identify which schools the two students who died had attended.
In a letter addressing the deaths, Superintendent Zandra Jo Galván expressed sorrow on behalf of the school district. She wrote that she was sharing the news with “profound sadness and heavy hearts.” Her letter confirmed that the two teenagers were part of the district's student community.
Galván also offered the district's condolences to the students' families, describing the grief they were facing as unimaginable. The district's letter and the sheriff's identification connected the deaths at the coastal beach to the school community in Salinas, which is roughly a 20-minute drive from Moss Landing.
An online fundraiser described Nathaniel, also known as Nate, as a member of the Steinbeck Tigers Youth Football and Cheer organization. According to the fundraiser, he would have celebrated his 14th birthday on Friday. That account provided details about his involvement in youth sports and his approaching birthday.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remained unclear in the information authorities shared Monday. Speaking at a news conference, Cmdr. Andy Rosas said investigators did not know what had led to the rare beach shooting. He said detectives had neither suspect information nor a motive to share.
Aerial footage of the scene showed crime scene technicians setting out evidence markers on the beach, with red party cups visible nearby. Yellow tape also surrounded a portable toilet in the area. The footage documented the scene as technicians worked, but authorities had not explained the circumstances of the gunfire.
Moss Landing is a coastal area between Santa Cruz and Monterey. Although authorities had identified the two Salinas teenagers killed there, the account released Monday left the motive and circumstances unresolved, along with the identities of the two injured teenagers.
