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Fatal Shooting Of Oakland 13-Year-Old Boy Renews Curfew Debate

OAKLAND (KCBS) – Police in Oakland are trying to figure out why someone shot and killed a 13-year-old boy, who was on his way home on New Year's Eve.

Oakland had its fewest homicides in a decade in 2013, but it's first in 2014 remains a mystery.

Thirteen-year-old Lee Weathersby III was shot multiple times at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday night. He had attended a New Year's Eve party at the Boys and Girls Club of Oakland on International Boulevard and was headed home from a friend's house when he was struck by gunfire.

The teen died at a hospital on New Year's Day.

Oakland police said they have not identified a motive for the killing, and no arrests have been made. The boy's family believes it was a case of mistaken identity.

Oakland City Councilman Noel Gallo said it underscores the need to pass a curfew, prohibiting minors from being on the street at night.

Fatal Shooting Of Oakland Teen Renews Curfew Debate

"It's really tragic. It's sad," Gallo said. "To lose a 13-year-old, he never had the opportunity to demonstrate his talents. So we need to get our kids off the streets. That's the bottom line living in East Oakland, in Oakland – our kids need to be at home."

But fellow City Councilman Dan Kalb said a curfew is not the answer, and probably would not have saved this boy's life.

"Doing a nighttime curfew in the city of Oakland really would tax our police officers so much, that it would take them away from other, more urgent responsibilities," Kalb said.

There's a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the eighth grader's killer.

(Copyright 2014 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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