Family Blames Filipino Gang for Slaying of Teen-Ager : Violence: Police have no suspects in custody. The Channel Islands High School student was shot as he visited at a friend’s house in Oxnard.

OXNARD —  A day after a 16-year-old Channel Islands High School student was shot outside a friend’s house in Oxnard, family and friends grieved his death saying they believe a member of a Filipino gang killed the teen-ager.

“I’m devastated because nothing will ever bring my son back,” said Virginia Banuelos, the mother of Martin Banuelos who died Thursday of a single gunshot to the chest. “I want the police to catch whoever did this and put that person in prison for life. Whoever did this has no heart or soul.”

An unknown gunman fired about 10 bullets at Martin about 3:30 p.m. Thursday as he stood on the front porch of a friend’s home on a usually quiet street in the Lemonwood neighborhood in Oxnard, witnesses said.

Although police investigators have a sketchy description of the gunman, they did not have any suspects in custody by Friday evening. Police said it is unclear whether the assailant is a member of a local gang.

Residents on the 1800 block of Kennedy Place, where the shooting took place, said they were grateful that no one else was injured in the possible gang-related shooting.

Dan Llorin, who lives next door to the house where the crime took place, said a bullet nearly hit one of his three sons, ages 7 to 9, who were playing inside the garage with the door open.

“I think it was a miracle that the shots missed the kids and only hit my car,” Llorin said as he pointed out two holes in his van.

According to Carolyn Vendito, owner of the house where the shooting occurred, Martin stopped by about 3:15 p.m. Thursday to visit her 15-year-old son.

About 10 minutes after he arrived, a car with an unknown number of people pulled up in front of the house, and one of the passengers called out for Martin, Vendito said.

Vendito’s sister, Pam Maye, who lives across the street, said that as Martin left the Vendito home and approached the red car he began to argue with one of its passengers.

“He was making a lot of gestures with his hands and saying, ‘Come on, you want to fight? Come on.’ But I didn’t think much about it until I heard about 10 bullets being fired really rapidly,” Maye said.

According to Vendito, Martin ran back toward her house as shots were being fired at him.

“When I heard the shots, I ran down the stairs and found Martin laying on my front door,” she said. “It was a devastating sight.”

Martin was then taken to St. John’s Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 4:32 p.m., said Ventura County Coroner’s Deputy Craig Stevens.

Family members and friends who gathered at Banuelos’ small stucco home Friday morning remembered the teen-ager as a quiet boy--a C-average student who liked to listen to music, was home by 11 p.m. and who wanted to become a mechanic.

“He was full of life and a really good kid,” said Virginia Banuelos, who lives two blocks from the murder scene. A Lemonwood resident for 18 years, Banuelos said she and her husband never thought violence would claim one of their three sons.

Although classes were held as usual at Channel Islands High School, where Martin was an 11th-grader, at least eight students sought counseling from the school psychologist, Principal John Triolo said.

A 15-year-old sophomore, who asked not to be identified, said students were saddened by the news of the fatal shooting. She added that Martin was often seen in the company of a Lemonwood-area Latino gang.

“He was a very nice kid, but he was never afraid and he was always challenging other kids to fistfight with him,” she said. “He was very strong-minded.”

Dexter Lacambecal, an 11th-grader, said that Martin was involved in a fistfight on campus last Tuesday .

“I don’t know what it was about, but they were fighting like crazy,” said Dexter, adding that he did not know Martin very well. “He was one of the tough guys at school.”

Martin’s father, Daniel Banuelos, denied that his son was a gang member, but said that in the past few years, Filipino gangs have tried to take over the neighborhood and cause problems.

“Regardless of who my son was, nothing can justify his death,” Daniel Banuelos said. “No one is entitled to take someone else’s life.”