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Police Seek Witnesses In Killing Of 'Pokémon Go' Player In San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Investigators were searching for possible witnesses to the fatal shooting of a man who was playing the popular "Pokémon Go" smartphone game at San Francisco's Aquatic Park over the weekend.

San Mateo resident Calvin Riley was found suffering a gunshot wound to his torso shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday at Aquatic Park near Ghirardelli Square, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lynn Cullivan, a spokesman for the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Monday said U.S. Park Police have no suspect description or motive in the case.

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There were no surveillance cameras in the area of the shooting, Cullivan said.

"We really don't have surveillance cameras in this part of the park. We're hoping someone, perhaps, had used their own personal camera," said Cullivan.

While the area is usually quiet at night, Cullivan said investigators are hoping that someone who was in the area might have seen or heard something relevant.

Any possible witnesses who were in the area between 9 and 10 p.m. should call the U.S. Park Police tip line at (415) 561-5150, Cullivan said.

A friend of the family tells CBS SF there was no confrontation, no words exchanged, no robbery and no apparent cause.

"The friend heard a gunshot, went back around the corner, five or six steps, and saw his friend laying there," said Riley family spokesperson John Kirby. "As he was laying there, they noticed a male, dark complexion, running away with a red shirt on, and possibly getting into a car."

One hope might be cameras rolling on the handful of Muni lines that travel through the area, some within direct sight of the shooting scene.

The murder has made headlines worldwide not for its apparent randomness, but for the mobile game that drew Riley to the location.

"When you're playing, there's different spots where you can stop and get items from the game," said a player who spoke with CBS SF. "And there's tons of stops, all down this road."

People who had come to Aquatic Park specifically to hunt Pokémons were out in force on Monday, many of them unaware of what happened over the weekend.

"It's very shocking to hear, especially in such a beautiful area," said one player.

That is another hope for investigators: that the lure of Pokémon might have also drawn a witness that can help solve the inexplicable murder of a young man.

Riley moved to the Bay Area from Lowell, Massachusetts, and graduated from Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo in 2015, the school confirmed in a Facebook post.

Since then, he attended San Joaquin Delta College, where he played for the school's baseball team, according to the school. In addition to his parents, he leaves behind a younger brother and sister.

A cousin from Massachusetts, Gabriel Antonio Morales, set up a GoFundMe page to help Riley's family with expenses that had already surpassed its goal of $45,000 as of this afternoon.

TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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