The victim’s mother says her daughter was shot in the back as she headed inside; police have not announced an arrest.
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — San Bernardino police are looking for witnesses and video after a 19-year-old woman was fatally shot Sunday around 5 p.m. on the 1600 block of West Concord Street. The shooting followed a brief fistfight tied to an earlier argument outside a home, officials said.
Investigators said several people were present during the confrontation and that the gunfire broke out as the crowd dispersed. Family members identified the victim as Niliyah Montgomery, a young mother whose death has rattled relatives and neighbors on the residential block west of downtown. The department said detectives are examining surveillance footage and canvassing the area to determine who fired and why. Police had not released a suspect description by Tuesday and did not say whether a weapon was recovered. The case remains a top priority for the homicide detail this week.
Tasha Montgomery, the victim’s mother, said her daughter argued with a friend outside the house before the fight began. She said the shooting happened as her daughter turned to go back inside. “My baby came running into my arms saying, ‘Mom,’” Montgomery said. The mother described seeing blood at her daughter’s mouth and said she tried to comfort her while others on the block scrambled for cover. Relatives said Niliyah had returned to school recently and was raising a 3-year-old daughter named Junie. Police taped off the street into the evening as officers searched for shell casings and potential firing points.
Detectives said the number of witnesses could help resolve conflicting details about the argument that preceded the shooting. It was not immediately clear what sparked the dispute or whether those involved knew the shooter. Officials have not specified how many shots were fired or whether more than one person displayed a weapon. Records from weekend incident logs list one fatal shooting on West Concord Street on Sunday, aligning with the police response. The coroner’s office had not publicly released an official cause of death beyond gunshot wounds as of Tuesday.
The block sits near West Rialto Avenue, a corridor with single-family homes and small apartment buildings. Neighbors said weekend afternoons can draw groups to front yards, and arguments sometimes spill onto the sidewalk. San Bernardino’s homicide totals vary year to year, but detectives have emphasized the role of doorbell cameras and cell phone clips in recent cases where crowd fights turned deadly. In past investigations, police have used a combination of video angles, witness timelines, and ballistics to reconstruct seconds-long bursts of violence and identify a shooter even when participants flee.
Police said updates will be released when there is a major development, such as identifying a suspect or making an arrest. If probable cause is established, a case file would be forwarded to county prosecutors for charging decisions. Officials did not announce a public briefing or news conference this week. Funeral plans were still being arranged Tuesday, relatives said, and the family expected to gather again on the block where candles and flowers have begun to appear. Detectives asked anyone who was present during the fight to contact the homicide unit.
As evening fell Monday, traffic moved slowly past the taped-off curb while a small crowd formed near a growing memorial. A neighbor paused to light a candle beside a handful of white roses. “She was my firstborn. She made me a mother,” Montgomery said, standing a few feet from the front steps. Family friends described the teen as funny and protective of her toddler, a child who, they said, loved to tug her mother’s hand toward the swing set at a nearby park.
By late Tuesday, investigators continued knocking on doors and requesting video from homes near the 1600 block. Police did not release additional details on suspects or vehicles and said they were still verifying the sequence of events that led to the gunfire.
Author note: Last updated February 3, 2026.