Fund Established for Shooting Victim

A memorial fund has been set up to help pay funeral expenses for Dylan Urquiza, a Back Bay High School freshman who was shot to death in Santa Ana after apparently being mistaken for a gang member, school officials said Wednesday.

Urquiza, 16, was walking back to a relative’s home from a fast-food restaurant near Civic Center Drive and Bristol Street early Sunday when a man approached him and demanded to know his gang affiliation, police said. The high school student responded by saying that he was not a gang member and walked away. As he turned around, the gunman opened fire, investigators and relatives said.

Since the shooting, school officials have received a flood of calls, mostly from Orange County residents who wanted to offer assistance to the teen’s family, a Back Bay High spokeswoman said. In response, Principal Carole Castaldo and others established a memorial fund.

Donations may be sent to the Alternative Ed. Center Memorial Fund for the Benefit of Dylan Urquiza, Account No. 162-011-562-4, Home Savings of America, 196 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa CA 92627-3730.