Ralph Fields Jr., 34, was killed on May 17, 2022, during a shootout at Jack Farrell Park in East Palo Alto, California. The early evening confrontation between two rival groups sent about 33 shots into a crowded park where an estimated 60 people were present, including children and a church baseball team practicing. Fields was shot during the exchange and later died at a hospital; three other people were wounded.

Police described the attack as targeted. Fields had been paroled the year before after serving two years in state prison on conspiracy charges stemming from a 2014 gang sweep. Four suspects were identified and indicted. Two—Miguel Bracamontes Ruiz, 23, and Michael Tyrone Darrell McNack, 21—took plea deals and received prison terms of nine years four months and eight years, respectively. Two others, Bobby Williams Jr. and Luis Javier Mariscal, faced charges including assault with a deadly weapon and discharge of a firearm with gross negligence. Investigators said the chaotic, multi-shooter scene made it difficult to determine who specifically caused Fields’ death, and no murder or manslaughter charges were filed.

The community responded with calls for increased park safety, including installing cameras, as local leaders and residents sought ways to prevent similar violence. Does anyone have information about that evening at Jack Farrell Park or about those present during the shooting?