Teen violence on the rise across Central Valley

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Communities across the Central Valley are reeling from senseless acts of violence involving young kids.

Just last week, 18-year-old high school senior Caleb Quick was shot and killed while out with his church friends at a McDonald's in Clovis.

Over the weekend, Monique Ramirez lost her 17-year-old brother Carlos after he was shot and killed at a party in Winton.

"There's too many young victims here in Winton. This happens every day. There is no justice for them," says Monique Ramirez, a victim's brother.

Then, in Hanford, a 15-year-old boy stabbed another teen to death outside the mall.

Police say the incident involved kids as young as 11.

"We're catching juveniles with guns on a weekly basis at this time," said Hanford Police Lt. Justin Vallin.

The latest: a 17-year-old arrested after firing a rifle in a Reedley neighborhood is now facing an attempted homicide charge.

"We've seen over the last few weeks an uptick. What we've seen in some pretty significant violent crimes amongst our youth," said Chief Probation Officer Kirk Haynes with Fresno County.

Right now, there are 14 kids inside the unit holding the most serious offenders in Fresno County's Juvenile Hall.

Eight are in for murder, and two for attempted murder. The average age is 17 and a half years old.

Haynes believes new legislation like SB 823, which closed the Department of Juvenile Justice facility back in 2021, has emboldened many to commit these acts.

"I think it's fair to say that there's less accountability than there used to be. For instance, we could have a 16- or 17-year-old now who can commit a murder, knowing that the largest exposure that they have is about seven years before we lose jurisdiction once they turn age 25. Different than what it used to be," says Haynes.

Prior to these legislative changes, the department would transfer approximately 8-10 youth per year to adult court.

Since the legislative changes, enacted in 2021, there have only been three youth who have been transferred to adult court.

All were charged with murder.

Haynes says there are several factors that lead these kids to commit these violent acts, such as a lack of resources, including things like healthcare.

"If they don't have the tools to be able to work with someone or to be able to have some compassion for someone, this is often times the answer that they have," says Haynes.

Marcie Taylor is a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in trauma. Her youngest client, impacted by a form of violence, is only seven years old.

"The ages are getting younger, and it's really difficult to see that. I see an increase in a lot of younger children engaging in a lot of self-harm behaviors, violent behaviors, because they just don't know how to communicate the pain that way as adults can communicate," said Taylor.

Taylor says parents should monitor their children's behavior, focusing on the three R's: respond, recognize, and refer.

Listen and validate a child's emotions after traumatic events.

"It's okay for them to have these emotions. It's okay for them to feel sad. It is okay for them to feel angry. It is okay for them to feel," said Taylor.

If your child has been exposed to violence, there is help out there, either at the child's school campus or through a private practice.

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