Police say a resident took a gun from an armed teenage intruder and fired during a struggle inside a San Pedro Drive apartment.
FREMONT, CA — Fremont police continued investigating a deadly Aug. 21 shooting after determining that two armed teenagers forced their way into a San Pedro Drive apartment and assaulted the people inside before one resident seized a gun and opened fire.
The teenager who was shot died after officers and medical crews took him to a local trauma center, police said. Investigators say the second teenage suspect fled but was later found and taken into custody. Two people inside the apartment suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. Police are treating the death as Fremont’s third homicide of 2026 while detectives continue examining how the confrontation unfolded and whether any additional criminal charges or findings will result.
Police first received reports of a shooting at about 12:13 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, at a residence on San Pedro Drive. Officers arriving at the scene found a male suffering from a gunshot wound and began providing medical assistance. He was transported to a trauma center and pronounced dead shortly after arriving. At first, police said only that a group of males had been present when the gunfire occurred and that several people were seen leaving the area. Additional officers moved into the neighborhood and detained people who were fleeing. Police later said the detentions occurred without incident. During the early response, San Pedro Drive was closed between Nicolet Avenue and Frobisher Drive as investigators worked at the scene. Police told residents that there was no immediate threat to the surrounding community while officers gathered evidence and interviewed people connected to the shooting.
By Monday, investigators had developed a more detailed account. Police said two teenage suspects, both armed, forced their way into the apartment and assaulted the occupants. During the confrontation, one of the people inside managed to gain control of a firearm that had belonged to one of the suspects. That resident then fired toward the intruders, striking one teenager, according to police. The second teen escaped from the apartment but was later located by officers. Authorities have not publicly identified either teenager because of their ages, and police have not released the identities of the residents. Officials also have not said whether the suspects and residents knew each other before the break-in. The precise sequence of events inside the apartment, including how long the confrontation lasted and how the gun changed hands, remains part of the continuing investigation.
The surviving teenage suspect was booked at the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center on suspicion of residential burglary and felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm, police said. Because the suspect is a juvenile, authorities have released few identifying details about him. Police have not announced charges against the resident who fired the weapon, and investigators have not publicly described that person as a suspect. The case remains under review as detectives examine evidence from the apartment, statements from the people involved and other information collected during the response. The two occupants were injured during the confrontation, but police said neither suffered life-threatening injuries. Authorities have not disclosed the nature of those injuries. Investigators also have not said whether any property was taken or whether burglary was the only suspected motive for the forced entry.
The killing became Fremont’s third homicide of the year, according to police. The city’s first homicide of 2026 was reported Jan. 3, when officers responded to a parking lot in the 5000 block of Mowry Avenue after a caller said he had shot his spouse. Police arrested 93-year-old Richard Hocking in that case and said an 86-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Fremont’s second homicide occurred Feb. 3 near Central Avenue and Joseph Street, where officers responding to multiple reports of gunfire found a victim who later died. Investigators eventually identified 19-year-old Kaleb Soto and 42-year-old Ricardo Duran as people sought in that case. Fremont police said the two were taken into custody in April after Hayward officers encountered them during an unrelated trespassing call. The San Pedro Drive death brought the city’s homicide count to three for 2026.
The San Pedro Drive investigation presents a different set of questions because police say the person who fired the fatal shot was an occupant of the apartment rather than one of the suspected intruders. Detectives will continue assembling evidence about the forced entry, the assault and the struggle over the firearm as they determine the full circumstances of the shooting. Police have not announced whether the completed case will be forwarded to Alameda County prosecutors for a formal review of the resident’s actions. No court hearing has been announced for the resident, and authorities have not said that the resident was arrested. The juvenile suspect’s case will move through the juvenile justice system, where proceedings and records are generally more restricted than adult criminal cases. Police have not released a schedule for another public briefing or said when additional investigative findings could be made public.
The shooting brought a large emergency response to the Cabrillo neighborhood, near Interstate 880. Police vehicles, fire crews and an ambulance were seen around the San Pedro Drive area as officers entered and left the residence. The police response centered near Baffin Avenue, and authorities temporarily restricted access to part of San Pedro Drive while the investigation was active. The scene initially gave neighbors few answers about what had happened inside the home. Police said at 1:15 p.m. that the roadway was closed because of active police activity but emphasized that there was no immediate danger to the community. Later that day, officials disclosed that a man had died and that people leaving the area had been detained. The department’s later account on Monday substantially clarified the case by identifying the incident as an armed residential burglary involving teenage suspects.
Several details remain unresolved publicly. Authorities have not released the age of the teenager who died, the age of the surviving juvenile suspect or the names and ages of the apartment occupants. Police also have not said whose firearm was seized during the struggle beyond describing it as a suspect’s weapon, nor have they released information about forensic testing, surveillance footage or other physical evidence. Investigators have not publicly stated what led the two teenagers to the apartment or whether they specifically targeted the people who lived there. Those questions could become important as detectives establish the events leading up to the forced entry and determine whether anyone else helped plan or carry out the alleged burglary. Police have said they do not believe any additional suspects remain outstanding and have reported no continuing threat to the public connected with the incident.
As of Aug. 25, Fremont police continued to describe the case as an active investigation. One teenage suspect is dead, a second has been booked into juvenile custody, and the residents survived their injuries. Authorities have not announced a date for another update or a final determination concerning the resident who fired the fatal shot.
Author note: Last updated August 25, 2026.