Shooting of Chavez High student began with robbery: police

The fatal shooting of a Cesar Chavez High School student at a park Wednesday afternoon arose from a robbery and involved two suspects, Stockton police confirmed Thursday.

The victim, 17-year-old Thai Khin, and another 16-year-old student "were at Unity Park playing basketball [when] the two suspects approached and robbed the 16-year-old," Stockton Police Officer David Scott said.

Scott said a fight broke out, and one suspect shot Khin before both fled on foot. He did not share any information about property that may have been involved in the robbery.

As Chavez High students returned to class Thursday, one day after Khin's killing, police investigators and counselors were also on campus.

"We see students crying in the hallway, students hugging each other," said Melinda Meza, the Stockton Unified School District spokesperson. "Lots of processing going on, and hopefully lots of healing."

Thai Khin, a 17-year-old Chavez High student, was found shot at Unity Park just after 3 p.m. Wednesday, while school was still in session roughly a block away, according to Stockton police. Khin died at the hospital, police said Wednesday evening.

A 16-year-old boy was also hospitalized after being pistol-whipped at the park, police said.

Khin's shooting was the second killing within a year of a Stockton student near their campus during school hours. One year ago next week, Stagg High School freshman Alycia Reynaga was stabbed to death by a campus intruder. Stockton resident Anthony Gray is awaiting trial on murder charges.

In February, a 19-year-old was shot to death on Plymouth Road about a mile from Lincoln High School. The Record could not confirm whether he was a student.

On Thursday morning, more than 50 counselors, social work assistants, and other members of a crisis team were at Chavez High checking in with students, Meza said. Some classes had resumed, and others held "listening sessions" about the shooting.

"They're still investigating what happened," she said. "We do know that one student had an unassigned class [at the time of the incident]."

Meza said she didn't know whether any conflict between students occurred at Chavez during the day before the shooting or whether staff had been alerted about potential weapons on campus.

At about 10:40 a.m. Thursday, detectives could be seen scanning a grassy park area near the basketball court with metal detectors. Police have shared no information about potential suspects, including whether any students are under investigation.

Chavez graduate Angel Arellano, playing with his daughter at Unity Park Thursday morning, said in his day, fights between Chavez students would sometimes spill over to Unity Park. Arellano graduated in 2009, he said.

"If anything was going to go down, it was going to go down at the park," he said. Conflicts were sometimes related to gangs and students' neighborhood affiliations, he said.

Arellano added that he had recently started bringing his daughter to the park in the morning instead of in the afternoon when school lets out.

Marcus Omlin, Stockton Unified's top safety official, urged students to "[have] what I call situational awareness."

"You're leaving campus, just [make] sure you're not being followed. If you see anything unusual, note that." Students should travel in pairs, Omlin said.

To reduce the risk of theft, keep expensive items hidden, Omlin said. "Visible jewelry [is] probably not to be seen — necklaces, etc.," Omlin said. "If they think it's a gold necklace, it's more of a risk."

Additional Stockton Unified police officers will be sent to the Chavez High campus, and Stockton police plan to increase patrols in the area, Meza said.

Police are seeking tips and security camera footage from residents near Unity Park that may help solve the case, Scott said.

Record reporter Aaron Leathley covers public safety. She can be reached at aleathley@recordnet.com or on Twitter @LeathleyAaron. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Police investigate fatal shooting of Stockton student as a robbery