The fatal shooting of two boys as they sat in a van in the parking lot of an elementary school in Union City early Saturday morning remains unsolved, police said Monday.
The boys ages 11 and 14 were shot at the lot at Searles Elementary School in a residential neighborhood in the 1800 block of Sherman Drive at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, according to Union City police.
The 14-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene and the 11-year-old died en route to a hospital, police said.
The two boys were confronted by suspects who shot into their vehicle multiple times, according to police.
New Haven Unified School District Superintendent John Thompson said in a statement that one of the boys was a student who currently attended a school in the district and the other was a former student in the district.
The district's schools are on their Thanksgiving break this week but Thompson said there will be support for students and staff at the sites where the boys had attended when school resumes next week.
"We also work closely with Union City police to ensure that our schools are as safe as they can be," the superintendent said.
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Investigators haven't ruled out the possibility that the shooting was gang-related but that possibility hasn't been verified, police said.
Police also are investigating whether the shooting is connected to a case earlier last week in which two men were shot near the intersection of Eighth and C streets in Union City at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to police.
The two men were treated for their injuries and released.
Union City police Lt. Steve Mendez said Monday that police were set to release the names of the two juveniles who were killed but family members of one of the victims said Sunday that they didn't want the names to be released at this time.
He said the family of the other victim hasn't been in touch with police.
