Woman killed by stray bullet during chaotic July 4 weekend

VALLEJO – A 45-year-old Vallejo grandmother was killed when a bullet pierced the wall of her mobile home early Saturday morning as first responders went to over 90 calls of fires, assaults and sideshows over the July 4 holiday weekend.

Courtney Whitney was shot early Saturday morning by a suspected stray bullet that pierced the wall of a trailer home on the 400 block of Admiral Callaghan Lane, police said. The bullet struck her in the back of the head as she lay in bed. The death marks Vallejo’s eighth homicide this year.

The Vallejo Fire Department responded at 1:36 a.m. to what was initially called in as an unconscious female medical call, according to fire Capt. Kevin Brown. “At that time, we hadn't seen the gunshot hole through the wall because it's not anything we were looking for,” he said. 

Whitney was enjoying her Fourth of July evening with family and friends until she left the group early to go rest after reporting feeling unwell.

Her nextdoor neighbor Richard Matthews said he and his friend Ronald Aton, Whitney’s boyfriend, stayed outside playing darts and had heard no gunshots. When they went inside to check on her they found her unconscious and having a hard time breathing.

“It was crazy, we didn’t think she was shot,” Matthews said. Believing that she had consumed something laced with fentanyl, Matthews reports that they administered her naloxone, a nasal-spray medication used to rapidly reverse an opioid overdose, and called 911.

Matthews said that they didn’t find any large quantities of blood and only a small bump on her skull, assuming that she had hit her head after losing consciousness.

The bullet appears to have originated from Interstate 80, which runs just behind the mobile home park. It remains unclear whether the shooter was on foot or in a moving vehicle. Vallejo forensic investigators combed the freeway for shell casings and used lasers to determine where the bullet came from, according to Matthews.

When medics arrived, they moved Whitney to the back of the ambulance. “We determined the best thing to do was just to get her out of that room quickly, and not because of any perceived safety problems, just because it was so cramped,” Brown said. “It was pretty much immediately after we got into the back that the gunshot wound was noticed.” 

Whitney was transported to Kaiser Hospital Vallejo, where she succumbed to her injuries later that day at 12:32 p.m.

First responders were also busy across the city with a deluge of other calls.

The Vallejo Fire Department responded to 89 calls on July 4 alone, 25 of them for fires. These included 12 debris fires, 10 vegetation fires, and 3 vehicle fires. “The 4th of July we see a spike in calls of all types, and definitely a spike in fires,” Brown said. 

Many of the fires were suspected to be caused by illegal fireworks. “We can't say that explicitly,” Brown said, “but we can state that at the majority of those calls, there were fireworks remnants and discards found in the area.”

Sideshows took over the streets as well. Videos posted on social media show people lighting fireworks between the cars as they take turns doing donuts, directly igniting fires.

“A lot of those debris fires were associated with the sideshows,” Brown said. “And yes, they were almost entirely fireworks related.” 

The rest of the weekend remained busy as people lit their leftover fireworks. “It tapers off, but we're still seeing them,” Brown said. He warned that the fire danger is to increase through the week.

“The weather's continued to heat up and the fuels out there continue to dry out over the last several days,” Brown said. “Fireworks, frankly, today, are actually even more dangerous than fireworks three, four days ago.”

In addition to the fatal shooting and fire incidents, firefighters responded to give medical care for three assaults.

Vallejo police Sgt. Rashad Hollis said the investigation into Whitney’s death is still ongoing and an intentional homicide has not been ruled out. Police have made no arrests.

Matthews said that just earlier that night, Whitney was showing him a comic book and stamp collection. “Here one day, gone the next,” Matthews said, sharing that friends and family are completely taken aback by the unexpected loss. A fundraising page was set up to raise money for the funeral expenses.