Man shot in Pittsburg shopping center

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jun 24, 2009 | by Paul Burgarino

A 21-year-old man was shot multiple times Wednesday morning during a rendezvous in a Pittsburg parking lot that may have been a drug deal gone wrong, police said.

About 10 a.m., police were called to the Wal-Mart shopping center in the 2200 block of Loveridge Road after receiving calls that shots were fired in the parking lot.

Witnesses said there was an altercation among six to eight people from two cars in parking stalls outside a MetroPCS store and Best Donuts & Ice Cream, Pittsburg police Lt. Brian Addington said.

During the incident, several shots were fired. It is unclear whether the shots were fired by one or more suspects, Addington said.

The shooting victim, whom police would not identity, fled past several rows of parking stalls into the middle of the parking lot.

Witnesses outside Wal-Mart said they saw him bleeding near a cart return rack when emergency crews arrived. The man was taken to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek with serious injuries that were not life-threatening, Addington said.

The man has a criminal record and is not cooperating with police, he said. Police also found drugs and a handgun at the scene. Police have determined the gun was not the one used to shoot the victim, Addington said.

Police say there is no indication of gang affiliation among those involved. One person, Martell Mays, 19, of Pittsburg, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of an unrelated warrant for drug sales and resisting arrest, Addington said.

Though he didn't want to speculate on the circumstances surrounding Wednesday's shooting, Addington said it's "very common for drug deals to happen in public places" where people unfamiliar with each other can be comfortable.

The northernmost half of the parking lot was wrapped in yellow police tape for most of the morning while police surveyed the crime scene, confining a few hundred cars and customers. Some patrons outside roped-off areas were frustrated they couldn't get to stores.

Police are looking for a black SUV and a black American-made sedan similar to a Ford Mustang.

Anyone with information can call the Pittsburg police tip line at 925-427-7369. Tips can be left in English or Spanish.

Reach Paul Burgarino at 925-779-7164 or pburgarino@bayareanewsgroup.com.