Young Victim May Have Been Mistaken for Gang Member

Neighbors think Joseph Maharaj, 14, may have been mistaken for a gang member , killing Maharaj, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Police say neither Maharaj, a freshman at , nor the friends he was with at the time were in gangs. Maharaj had planned to make just a quick stop at a friend's house the night he was killed, but was attacked while hanging out with friends on the 600 block of First Lane before he could get home, the Chronicle reported.

Though it's South San Francisco's first homicide of the year, the effects of gun violence are still fresh in this community: just blocks away this past December, .

In May 2010, .

Both cases remain unsolved, and police haven't yet made arrests in Maharaj's case.

Police have established a police substation in Old Town and a neighborhood response team to tackle gang violence.

Donations to help pay for Joseph Maharaj's funeral costs can be made to the Joseph Maharaj Memorial Fund, Wells Fargo Bank, Account No. 1866375593, according to the Chronicle.