After Shooting, Samohi Gets Extra Police Presence

At the request of the school district, law enforcement is boosting its patrols at Santa Monica High in the wake of a .

The 16-year-old is . He was shot at multiple times and was hit at least once in the upper body Dec. 6 on Pacific Street, near Pico Boulevard and Fourth Street.

The Santa Monica Police Department confirmed Thursday that investigators believe the incident was gang-related. 

"We are looking at the recent shooting as being gang-related," said Sgt. Richard Lewis.

Also on Thursday, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified District Board of Education member Oscar de la Torre asked the district's superintendent for a review of schools' dress codes for students, "especially surrounding gang attire."

Additionally, "I want a report on what we're doing to support this young man and his transition back to school," De la Torre said.

Concerns about safety on the campus were amplified with another shooting Tuesday in Venice, where a gunman fled on a bicycle toward Santa Monica, said Superintendent Sandra Lyon.

Lyon said the mounting worries prompted Santa Monica High School to request extra enforcement from the Police Department.

Four additional officers are working around the high school and in the Pico Boulevard neighborhood for the next several weeks, and all sworn personnel who work within the Santa Monica Police Department's Youth Services are detailed to the campus area during and after class, Sgt. Lewis said.

"We are also using our traffic officers to heavily patrol in these same areas," he said.

Lyon said Santa Monica High will host a parent meeting Jan. 17 to address questions related to the shooting and to discuss what administrators can do to make the campus safer.