14-year-old drug-dealing pimp shoots and kills man during argument over money, California police say

California police say that a 14-year-old boy was selling drugs and running a prostitute out of a home when he shot and killed a man during an argument.

The incident unfolded around 4 p.m. on Saturday at a residence on Conestoga Drive near Austin Avenue in the city of Merced.

'Crime in the neighborhood had gotten steadily worse in recent years.'

Merced Police Sergeant Jeremy Salyers said that police responded to a report of a disturbance at the home, and when they responded, they found a 41-year-old man with a single gunshot wound in the home. He was declared dead at the scene.

Police determined that a shooting suspect lived at the home but had fled after the incident.

"The shooting occurred over some narcotic sales and possible prostitution that was going on inside of the home," he added.

Police said that the boy escaped to San Jose after the shooting, but they were able to locate him with the help of surveillance video and witnesses. He was arrested at a motel on Monday afternoon at about 3 p.m.

The boy was charged with homicide and booked into the Iris Garrett Juvenile Justice Correctional Complex.

No other arrests were made even though investigators determined that there were two other adults and a juvenile at the home.

Salyers went on to warn parents about protecting their children from toxic influences.

"We have so many things nowadays with social media. A lot of things even going on in the music industry and stuff, they glorify pimping, narcotic sales," he said.

"So yeah, it's important to keep your kids busy and get them into sports, get them into summertime activities to try and keep them away from this stuff and out of the streets," he added.

Police have not recovered the weapon used in the incident, and the investigation is ongoing.

Residents in the area told KFSN-TV that they were not shocked by the violence because crime in the neighborhood had gotten steadily worse in recent years.

"I don't go out, I don't go walk down the street, I don't walk my dog at night anymore," said one resident.

Merced is a city of about 91k residents located in the San Joaquin Valley between Fresno and San Francisco.

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