Residents are reacting after a man was shot to death in a Belmont neighborhood Friday night.
The shooting happened at around 8 p.m. near Hiller and Irwin streets. Residents told NBC Bay Area Saturday that they heard three gunshots and saw bullet holes in a car parked in the area.
Thomas Martin, who lives in the neighborhood, described what he heard before police arrived.
“I heard what sounded like shots,” he said. “I thought it was maybe fireworks but then, about 10 to 20 minutes later, we walked outside and the police were roping off the area, and there was paramedics giving chest compressions to a man on the ground.”
The Belmont Police Department said a 27-year-old man died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. Authorities identified the victim on Sunday as Diontae Gayden of San Francisco.
Residents told NBC Bay Area that it appeared the victim was parked in a black sedan and they noticed damage to the front windshield of the car.
“I saw some gunshots through the windshield,” Martin said.
The San Mateo County crime lab was on scene Friday night as investigators collected evidence. Police said they were pursuing several leads and believed this was an isolated incident.
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Homicides in Belmont are rare. One of the recent incidents was in 2019, when a teenager was shot in front of an elementary school.
Friday’s incident happened in a usually quiet residential neighborhood just feet from O’Donnell Park, where kids often visit the playground. Manoj Agrawal told NBC Bay Area on Saturday night that frequently walks his dog there and added the shooting has elevated his concerns about his family’s safety.
“We are a family. I have two kids. I have a son and a daughter. Mostly, we are out here on the evening. So, it’s scary to know there was a homicide,” he said.
Belmont police are asking anyone who may have been traveling in the area Friday night with an active dash camera to contact them.
