On the warm summer evening of Saturday, June 30, 2012, Stephen McClendon, a 34-year-old African-American man, was spending time with his nephew, Timothy Walker, outside an apartment complex in their City Heights neighborhood in San Diego, California. The two were talking near a common area on the 2600 block of 44th Street, close to where Walker’s friend, 18-year-old Rickquese McCoy, was chatting with a neighbor. It was a familiar scene in the Swan Canyon neighborhood, a place where McClendon lived and was a known member of the community.
Just before 11 p.m., the quiet conversation was shattered. Several men, described by witnesses as dressed in dark clothing and hooded sweatshirts, approached the group on foot. Without warning, they opened fire, unleashing multiple rounds at McClendon, Walker, and McCoy. The sudden and brutal attack left McClendon and his nephew wounded and on the ground in a parking lot.
McCoy, struck twice, managed to run before collapsing in a nearby alley. The assailants fled the scene, disappearing into a light-colored, four-door sedan, possibly a Ford Taurus, which was last seen heading westbound on Maple Street.
Calls to 911 flooded in as neighbors rushed to help. When San Diego Police officers arrived, they found a chaotic scene. McClendon and Walker were discovered first, both with critical gunshot wounds. A third victim, McCoy, was soon found in the alley. All three were rushed to a local trauma center. Despite the efforts of medical staff, both Stephen McClendon and Rickquese McCoy succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced dead. Walker, who was 20 years old at the time, survived after undergoing emergency surgery.
The San Diego Police Department’s Homicide Unit launched an immediate and intensive investigation. Detectives learned that the victims were simply standing outside when the gunmen walked up and fired on them. The motive for the seemingly random act of violence remained unclear. In the months following the double homicide, investigators worked to develop leads. In September 2012, they released a composite sketch of one of the suspected shooters. He was described as a Black man in his mid-to-late 30s, standing between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-11 with a husky build and a dark complexion. He was armed with a handgun.
As the first anniversary of the killings approached in June 2013, police re-released the suspect sketch, hoping to generate new information from the public. They reiterated that at least three men were involved in the attack. The community was shaken by the loss of two of its own. Friends and family of Rickquese McCoy created a memorial for him in Swan Canyon, a place he had explored as a child, planting a tree and spreading his ashes at its base. The families of both victims were left to grapple with the senseless violence that had taken their loved ones.
Years have passed since the shooting, but the case remains unsolved. No arrests have been made, and the individuals responsible for the deaths of Stephen McClendon and Rickquese McCoy have not been brought to justice. The San Diego Police Department continues to seek answers and asks for the public's help. Crime Stoppers has offered a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest in the case. As of the last public updates in June 2013, detectives were still actively investigating. Anyone with information about the identities of the suspects or the circumstances of this crime is urged to contact the SDPD Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
