Two Salinas boys identified as victims of fatal Moss Landing beach shooting

Two boys from Salinas, ages 13 and 15, have been identified as the people killed in a shooting near Moss Landing State Beach in Monterey County early Monday. Two other people were injured in the same shooting, which occurred before 2 a.m. near the beach just off Highway 1.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office released the victims' names Tuesday, identifying them as 13-year-old Nathaniel Flores and 15-year-old Marco Antonio Perez. Both boys were found dead at the scene. Authorities have not identified either of the two people who were injured.

The boys were students in the Salinas Union High School District, according to its superintendent. In a statement issued Monday night, before authorities publicly named the victims Tuesday, the superintendent acknowledged that members of the district's student community were among those killed in the early morning incident in Moss Landing.

The superintendent expressed sorrow over the deaths and extended condolences to the families facing the loss. The statement also conveyed support for the students' friends and classmates, as well as others affected by the shooting, describing the grief confronting the families and the broader school community.

Police said the shooting took place along Jetty Road. Aerial footage of the aftermath showed red drinking cups scattered across the beach. A cooler, cans and evidence markers were also visible along the road, documenting the scene left behind after the shooting that killed the two boys and injured two others.

During a briefing Monday, Chief Park Ranger Mike Dippel of California State Parks said the beach sometimes draws people who gather for parties. He explained that the beach closes at sunset and that those present when the shooting happened were there outside its operating hours.

"We do have people that come together and have parties at this beach; it closes at sunset," Dippel said. "So these people were here after hours." His remarks addressed the gathering at the beach before the early morning shooting.

No arrests had been made as the investigation continued. Rangers said they planned to increase patrols in the area. Tuesday's identification of the two boys followed the district's Monday night statement mourning the students and offering condolences to those affected by their deaths.