One teen killed, another wounded in Merced. Police seeking 15-year-old shooting suspect

Police in Merced are searching for a 15-year-old suspect in a shooting Thursday that left one teenage victim dead and another injured.

Officers responded to a shots fired call in the 1200 block of W Drive around 5 p.m., following an altercation at that location, police said in a social media post published late Thursday.

Police identified the suspected gunman as Robert Fitzgerald Lewis III.

Investigators said Lewis pulled out a firearm and fired into an occupied vehicle that was stopped in the road, according to Merced Police. The driver fled two blocks away and waited for emergency medical personnel, but officers responding to the call found two people who had been shot.

An 18-year-old male with several gunshot wounds was pronounced dead at the scene, and a 17-year-old female was transported to a local hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

The identity of the victims have not been released.

Detectives are seeking assistance in locating Lewis, who is considered to be “armed and dangerous.” A $2.9 million warrant for murder and various other charges has been issued for his arrest.

Anyone with any information regarding this incident can contact detective Steven Odom at (209) 388-7814 or by email at odoms@cityofmerced.org. The department also has an anonymous tip line at (209) 385-4725 and online.

This story was originally published December 31, 2021 at 8:29 AM.