One man murdered, 12-year-old shot in Lompoc

January 21, 2021

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

A pair of shootings in Lompoc on Wednesday left a man dead and a 12-year-old boy wounded by an apparent stray bullet.

First, at about 11:35 a.m., a 911 caller reported a shooting in an encampment located above the Santa Ynez riverbed in the 1800 block of North H Street. Officers arrived to find a 46-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Lompoc Police Department.

First responders attempted to render aid to the victim, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lompoc officers and Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies searched for a suspect who was seen leaving the area on a bicycle, but did not find him.

A motive for the shooting is unclear, but it does not appear to be gang related.

Then at about 7:36 p.m., witnesses reported shots fired in the 700 block of W. Laurel Ave. Officers arrived at the scene and found a wounded 12-year-old boy.

A helicopter airlifted the boy to a local trauma center, where he is listed in stable condition.

It is suspected the boy was not the target of the shooting. It is unknown whether the shooting was gang related.

The two shootings on Wednesday are the latest in a bloody first month of 2021 in Santa Barbara County. Thus far in January, there have already been fatal shootings in Santa Barbara, Goleta, Lompoc and Santa Maria.