On the evening of March 7, 2018, 17-year-old Jeremiah Ascencio of Moreno Valley, California, was shot and killed while with his older brother Elijah Eli Ascencio outside a Jack in the Box at Old Lake Drive and Sunnymead Ranch Parkway. Witnesses heard six to seven gunshots. Eli was struck in the neck; Jeremiah was shot in the chest as he rushed to his brother’s side. Both brothers died at the scene.

They were well known in the community and had attended Canyon Springs High School, where they played football. Witnesses said the brothers were standing next to or sitting inside a silver Nissan sedan and that other individuals were near the vehicle shortly before the shooting. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department opened an investigation and later arrested three Moreno Valley residents who were charged in connection with the murders, following witness interviews and forensic analysis.

Memorials and vigils were held as the community mourned. If anyone knew the brothers, saw the silver Nissan that night, or has information about the shooting, please share what is known with investigators.