A TIDE Academy freshman has been identified as the teenage boy who was shot late Friday, March 6, in East Palo Alto and died of his injuries over the weekend, leading police to conduct a suspicious death investigation.

The student, Juan Carlos Figueroa Castaneda, 14, of East Palo Alto died the day after he was shot, the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office said on March 11.

At around 11:37 p.m. on March 6, police responded to a report of a gunshot fired inside a home in the 1100 block of Gaillardia Way, near Pulgas Avenue and west of the Ravenswood Shopping Center, police said in a statement released Monday morning.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found a boy suffering from a gunshot wound, police said. He received medical attention on the scene from Menlo Park Fire Protection District personnel before being taken to a hospital and rushed into surgery.

“Here at TIDE, we continue to mourn the loss of our dear friend, student, and classmate Juan Figueroa,” a TIDE Academy Facebook post states. “We will never forget Juan. He will always be loved and remembered at TIDE Academy.”

TIDE Academy opened last fall in Menlo Park.

A GoFundMe page was launched to help pay for Castaneda’s funeral expenses. As of this afternoon (March 11) 56 donors had given $7,600.

Sequoia Union High School District officials could not be reached for comment.

Police have asked anyone with information about the shooting to call Cmdr. Michael Stasko at 650-853-314 or to contact the East Palo Alto Police Department anonymously by leaving a text or voicemail message at 650-409-6793.

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