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5 Teens Under 17 Arrested In Oakland Shooting Death Of Paramedic

OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Five juveniles ranging in age from 14 to 16 have been arrested in connection with the shooting death of off-duty paramedic Quinn Boyer in the Oakland Hills two weeks ago, Oakland police Chief Howard Jordan said Tuesday.

Jordan said the crime is part of what he described as "a disturbing trend in this city" in which juveniles as young as 13 have been involved in violent crimes.

"I call on parents, the schools and the community to change the cycle," Jordan said.

Boyer, 34, who had worked as a paramedic for five years, the last two for Santa Clara County Ambulance, was shot while he was driving shortly before noon on April 2 and crashed his car down a ravine in the 5200 block of Keller Avenue. He died two days later.

Boyer, who grew up in Oakland, was in Oakland on April 2 to take his father to a medical appointment. A graduate of Sonoma State University, the Santa Rosa Fire Academy and the Foothill Paramedic Program, Boyer is survived by his wife and family.

Teens Arrested In Shooting Death Of Off-Duty Paramedic In Oakland

Oakland police said two of the suspects are 14, two are 15 and one is 16. The juveniles, who are all from Oakland, have been arrested on suspicion of murder, robbery and carjacking, police said.

The case has been turned over to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office for charging but it isn't known at this time if the youths will be charged as juveniles or as adults, police said.

Lt. LeRon Armstrong declined to divulge many details about the shooting, saying it is still under investigation.

Armstrong said police believe one of the juveniles in custody shot Boyer and the others played various other roles in the crime.

Some of the juveniles have made "some admissions" about participating in the incident, he said.

The murder weapon hasn't yet been recovered but police "have some strong leads" in locating it, Armstrong said.

He said one of the suspects was arrested Monday night and after investigators worked through the night they developed information that led to the arrest of the other four suspects earlier on Tuesday.

Armstrong said police don't believe the five juveniles are gang members but they "hang out together."

Jordan said, "Some young people believe it is very easy to shoot someone and that was the same situation in this case."

Quinn's funeral service was held Tuesday.

Assistant Police Chief Anthony Toribio, who attended the service, said, "It was difficult to go to the service for an individual who was dedicated to public service and was murdered."

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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