The man who opened fire on a crowded Mission District block party in 2023, wounding nine people gathered outside a 24th Street clothing shop, has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 25 years in state prison. Javier Campos, now 26, admitted to one count of assault with a semi-automatic firearm in connection with the June 9, 2023 drive-by shooting near 24th and Treat Streets.
The San Francisco District Attorney's Office announced the plea and sentence, closing out a case that began more than three years ago when gunfire tore through a crowd celebrating the sixth anniversary of Dying Breed, a local apparel brand based inside Mission Skateboards at 3045 24th Street, according to Mission Local. As reported by CBS News, the gunfire struck nine people — eight men and one woman — ranging in age from 19 to 35, with no fatalities but at least one victim critically injured.
A Targeted Attack in Rival Gang Territory
Campos admitted he was affiliated with the Sureño street gang, and prosecutors say the drive-by was an attack aimed at the rival Norteño gang, which has long claimed the area around 24th and Treat as its own. San Francisco police gang task force officers testified that Campos targeted the block party specifically because of its location in that contested Mission District turf, per the same Mission Local account of preliminary hearings. The station's report also notes that prosecutors introduced Instagram message threads in which Campos allegedly admitted gang membership and bragged online about a shooting in the days after the attack.
Forensic testing later matched bullet casings recovered at the scene to casings found inside a silver Mercedes-Benz linked to Campos, as well as to a handgun thrown from his vehicle during a pursuit shortly before his arrest, the outlet reported. Surveillance footage had captured the Mercedes fleeing the area immediately after the shooting.
Arrest Followed Days of Multi-County Manhunt
Campos was arrested several days after the shooting and had multiple outstanding warrants from several law enforcement agencies at the time, including one for an unrelated Oakland homicide, according to CBS News. He was apprehended in Santa Cruz County through a multi-jurisdictional operation involving the California Highway Patrol and local law enforcement, following a vehicle pursuit in which a firearm and magazine were thrown from his car, according to the San Francisco Standard.
That outstanding Oakland warrant stemmed from a January 2023 gas station shootout that left an 18-year-old dead and six others wounded during a music video shoot, as reported by SFist. Hoodline previously reported that SFPD linked Campos to that Oakland case as investigators searched for him in the days after the Mission District shooting, before he was ultimately identified as a person of interest and taken into custody.
A Family History Shadowed by Gang Violence
Court testimony in January 2024 revealed that Campos grew up in a family deeply affected by Bay Area gang violence. His father, also named Javier Campos, and his older brother, Jose Escobar, were both murdered when Campos was just 12 years old, according to Mission Local's coverage of the case's early hearings.
Prosecutors Detail the Legal Stakes
Campos was originally charged in December 2023 with 12 felony counts, including discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle causing great bodily injury, eight counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, three counts of unlawful firearm possession, and gang enhancements, according to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. Under California Penal Code Section 186.22, which covers criminal street gang enhancements, and Section 26100(c), which addresses discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, drive-by shootings committed for a gang's benefit can carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Campos ultimately negotiated a guilty plea to a single count of assault with a semi-automatic firearm along with gang allegations, resulting in the 25-year sentence.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said the sentence reflects the gravity of Mr. Campos' crimes and holds him accountable. She said Campos showed complete disregard for the lives of every person on the street that night, and that senseless gun violence will remain a top priority for her office as it works to keep all communities safe.
