Blythe Teen Shot Twice Near School Event, Family Now Faces Mounting Medical Bills

A 16-year-old boy is recovering from nerve damage and still has bullet fragments in his body after he was shot twice while walking to a school function in Blythe, and his family has launched a fundraiser to help cover the mounting medical costs. The shooting happened along Barnard Street between Palm Drive and Willow Street shortly after 7 p.m. on August 17, sending the teen fleeing before he was found at Twin Palms High School, where he had sought refuge.

According to MyNewsLA.com, Blythe police officers responded to a report of an attempted homicide near the intersection, where they recovered crucial pieces of evidence. The victim had already fled the area before officers arrived, and paramedics later administered life-saving measures once he was located at the school, at 811 W. Chanslor Way. Twin Palms High School operates as the continuation high school for the Palo Verde Unified School District, which serves roughly 2,800 students across six campuses in the Palo Verde Valley.

The teen's mother, Melissa Warren, said her son was shot twice while walking to a school function, according to the same report. Two bullets struck the victim's left arm, and he was running for his life as he made his way toward the school grounds. He was airlifted to a hospital from Blythe Airport, a step often required in the isolated desert community, where critically injured patients frequently need emergency air transport to regional trauma centers in the Coachella Valley or Arizona because Palo Verde Hospital provides only local acute care.

Fundraiser Aims to Cover Long Recovery

Warren created a GoFundMe campaign on August 24 with a fundraising goal of $13,000. The campaign is intended to help cover the income Warren will lose while missing work, along with her attendance at court proceedings tied to the case. It also plans to pay for her son's ongoing physical therapy, follow-up appointments, mental health care, and transportation to and from his care.

The teen has sustained nerve damage and still has bullet fragments remaining in his body, underscoring why his recovery is expected to be prolonged. Blythe carries a local poverty rate of nearly 19 percent and a median individual income of about $20,661, according to Data Commons estimates, providing some sense of the financial strain a sudden medical crisis can place on a family in the roughly 17,396-person city.

Juvenile Suspect Booked Into Indio Facility

A juvenile suspected of attempted homicide and other charges was taken into custody in connection with the shooting on August 19, two days after the attack. Detectives had served a search warrant at a residence in Blythe that same day as part of the investigation. The suspect was booked into juvenile hall in Indio, a facility operated by the Riverside County Probation Department that sits more than 90 miles west of Blythe.

Police have not released the suspect's name. Under California juvenile justice law, minors arrested for attempted homicide face detention hearings in juvenile court and potential fitness evaluations under the state Welfare and Institutions Code to determine whether they should be tried as adults, according to the Shouse Law Group. Police have not disclosed a motive for the shooting or said whether the victim and the suspect knew each other, and the investigation remains ongoing.

A Community With a History of Violence Nearby

The stretch near Palm Drive and Barnard Street has seen deadly violence before. In December 2012, a fatal shooting tied to a drug dispute occurred at that same intersection, a case that was not finalized in court until a murder conviction was resolved in May 2025, per MyNewsLA.com's earlier reporting on that case.

Blythe has also grappled with youth-involved gun violence in recent years. In July 2024, a double fatal shooting in a Blythe parking lot led to the arrest of an 18-year-old local resident on murder charges, as Hoodline previously reported. The Blythe Police Department is a small agency, with roughly 25 to 26 sworn officers covering the city's 27 square miles, according to a city planning document.

Anyone with information about the August 17 shooting is asked to contact the Blythe Police Department at 760-922-6111, extension 5, or to report tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 760-921-2273.