Teen arrested in fatal shooting at Montclair mall

15-year-old is killed, and friend stabbed, following altercation with other youths.

A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting a 15-year-old boy this month at the Montclair Place shopping center, according to police.

The shooting was reported Feb. 2 about 8:10 p.m. in the parking lot of Montclair Place, according to Montclair Police Sgt. Andy Graziano.

A 15-year-old was found with injuries and taken to a trauma center, where he died, Graziano said. A 17year-old boy was hospitalized for stabbing injuries in the same incident and was expected to survive, police said.

A 17-year-old boy from Pomona was arrested two days after the shooting on suspicion of murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm, with a gang enhancement, according to a Montclair Police Department news release.

The suspect was on probation for a previous firearm possession case, authorities said.

The San Bernardino County district attorney’s office is prosecuting the case.

Family members identified the 15-year-old victim as Omar Espinoza, a student at Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona.

Omar was at the mall with a friend and the friend’s mother, buying a birthday present for his 9-year-old sister, according to his godmother, Cynthia Jimenez. Omar had been approached by a group of teenagers that included the accused shooter, and they got into an altercation.

Omar and the friend were walking to a Target near the mall to meet the friend’s mother when they were attacked, Jimenez said. The friend was hospitalized with stabbing injuries.

“He was just such a sweet kid,” Jimenez said of Omar. “He liked playing soccer. He was part of a dance group for many years with his twin brother. His circle of friends was far and wide.”