In the early hours of July 20, 2024, a shooting near Civic Center Drive in Vista left five males wounded and one dead. Nineteen-year-old Antonio Junior Calderon Mendiola of Vista was pronounced dead after being brought to Palomar Medical Center; the San Diego County Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death a gunshot wound and classified it as a homicide. Four others were also taken to the hospital: a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old in critical condition and a 16-year-old in stable condition.

Circumstances leading up to the shooting remain unclear and no suspects or motive have been identified. Family and friends remembered Antonio as gentle, kind, and bright; he had recently graduated from Twin Oaks High School and was in the process of joining the Marine Corps. Anyone with information is asked to contact the San Diego Sheriff’s Department Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330 or, after hours, (858) 565-5200, or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

If anyone knew Antonio or was in the area that night, can you share what you saw or heard?