By Doug Gale
Senior Writer

Family and friends come together at school memorial

Junior Alejandro Fernandez, known to his friends and teachers as Alex, was killed in a drive by shooting on South Rengstorff Avenue around 10:26 p.m. on Friday September 24. He was taken by ambulance to Stanford Hospital and pronounced dead at 11:08 p.m.
The Mountain View Police Department were still unsure about the perpetrators or their motives at press time. During a community awareness presentation held last Tuesday in the Eagle Theater, the MVPD stated that the shooting, “may or may not [have been] related to gangs.”
“The case is under investigation,” Mountain View Chief of Police Scott Vermeer said. “We’ve gotten a lot of stories from a lot of people…We still aren’t sure what the truth really is.”
“I think that people are drawing conclusions based on Alex’s affiliations,” Los Altos High School Resource Officer John Korges said. “Those are conclusions not facts.”
The day following the shooting, a tribute to Alex was set up on Rengstorff. It included candles and many items that greatly affected Alex during his life.
On Wednesday September 29 a memorial service was held for Alex in the gymnasium at Los Altos High School. Three of Alex’s friends spoke at the service, as well as his mother, Edith Fernandez. She talked about his potential and her deep sorrow concerning his death.
“Alex was a great contributor within the school community. He was a quiet, polite kid who got along really well with everybody,” English teacher Kathy Sulaver said.
Sulaver was Alex’s teacher for the past two years and formed a special bond with Alex.
“He had a great sense of humor, and a lot of friends,” Sulaver said.
The funeral for Alex was held the Thursday of October 7 at Saint Athanasius Church in Mountain View.
Following the murder of Alex the police presence on campus at the school was noticeably increased, as the police were trying to create a safer environment for students to learn in.
“Students see what happened to Alex and they get worried because they knew him, hopefully our presence can put their nerves at ease,” Korges said.
The police presence on campus may have decreased in recent days, however according to Korges, it will fluctuate on a day to day, case to case basis.
After Alex’s murder, a six member team of officers was assigned to the school and outreach with students, parents and faculty.
While the police on campus are Los Altos police officers, they are just as well informed about violent activity within the Los Altos-Mountain View community as the MVPD.
“Since the incident we’ve exchanged information between the Los Altos and Mountain View Police Departments in order to create a safer learning environment,” Korges said.
Though the police presence on campus seems to have been toned down, it will remain fluctual until the police deem the campus safe.
”If our intelligence tells us that the threat of violent activity is greater on campus one day, then the police presence will be increased,” Korges said.