Man fatally shot in crowd of hundreds near Oceanside Pier at sunset

A 21-year-old man was killed in a shooting at an amphitheater near the Oceanside Pier where hundreds of people were gathered just before sunset Thursday, police said.

Ramon Torres, 25, said he was sitting on the bleachers in the amphitheater when he heard gunshots.

“I was stunned for, like, 30 seconds, but everyone else ran,” he said.

Torres said he looked over his left shoulder, toward the top of the bleachers, and saw people holding the wounded man, telling him, “Don’t die. Don’t die.”

The Oceanside man was shot multiple times at the Junior Seau Pier Amphitheatre, also known as the Oceanside Bandshell, about 7:20 p.m. He died on the way to the hospital, police said.

His name was not released.

Investigators said the slaying appeared to be gang-related. They were looking for two suspects described as men in their 20s.

Brian Kent, a professional photographer, said he was taking portraits of a family on the beach, just south of the pier, when he heard at least three “pops” that sounded like fireworks.

Soon after, Kent said, people started running in all directions. That’s when he and the family he was photographing — a pregnant woman, her husband and two children — also ran, Kent said.

He headed to the amphitheater, where medics, officers and two bystanders were crowded around a man lying on a walkway at the top of the bleachers. The victim was suffering from several gunshot wounds, including at least one to his face, Kent said.

Next to the wounded man was a woman who was leaning against a railing, crying hysterically, Kent said.

“She was pretty much inconsolable,” he said.

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