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Fourteen-year-old arrested for shooting 15-year-old in Santa Maria

November 3, 2023

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Santa Maria police officers arrested a 14-year-old male for shooting a 15-year-old male on Thursday, which left the victim in serious condition.

Shortly after 3 p.m., a caller reported the shooting in the 1500 block of S. Broadway. Officers arrived at the scene and found the 15-year-old victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The gunman fled the scene before officers arrived, according to the Santa Maria Police Department.

Responders transported the victim to Marian Regional Medical Center. He currently remains at the hospital in serious condition. 

Detectives began investigating and identified the gunman as a 14-year-old Santa Maria resident. At 10:20 a.m. on Friday, police located the suspect and arrested him without incident. 

Authorities booked the teen in Santa Maria Juvenile Hall on felony charges including assault with a deadly weapon and minor carrying a loaded firearm in public. 

Investigators also served a search warrant at the suspect’s home. Police do not believe there are remaining public safety concerns related to the shooting.

The investigation into the shooting is still ongoing. Investigators request that anyone who has information about the case contact Detective Swenson at (805) 928-3781 ext. 1648.


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Once again it’s not the presence of guns but the absence of morals. This juvenile needs to be made an example of. I think it’s time we start naming the juveniles publicly then maybe that will encourage the parents to be more responsible raising their children.


5

Dude. It is the presence of guns. How about we trace where these guns came from and NAME their supplier? I would love to read that a gun supplied by dealer X today was used in a robbery. Maybe gun dealers need to worry about their morals too?


-10

Is a car manufacture responsible every time someone goes on a high speed chase or when someone decides to drive through a crowed of people. No.

If the gun was purchased legally they would know where it came from. The problem here is the gun is most likely stolen. 15 year olds are prohibited from purchasing firearms. Criminals will always have guns regardless of any laws.


10

Omg. Are you serious? Every time something could enhance the safety of a car, it’s been done. Bumpers, safety glass, better brakes, seatbelts, on star, airbags crash test dummies and the national transportation safety board studied and studied and STILL studies how VEHICLES can be made to cause less damage and loss of life. Congress actually blocked the CDC from studying gun deaths.


-3

Assault cars? I think you missed the point but ok. None of the safety features mentioned above are going help the innocent pedestrian who gets ran over by someone trying to evade police. We don’t blame the car manufacture we just arrest the bad guy.


1

I think you missed the point. Blame wasn’t mentioned. I think it would be useful to know who profits, legally, in supplying guns used in crimes. Maybe knowing where they come from, or how they are obtained by 14 yr olds would be useful. Bad parenting is not to blame for kids getting access to guns.

If Carfax can trace how many times I serviced my car, we could just as easily trace how these kids obtained guns. Serial number = VIN


Sometimes it is hard to be so purposefully obtuse.


0

Criminals get their guns on the street or they break into houses and steal them. Once in their possession they will remove the serial number making it untraceable. Start holding the parents responsible.


1

Lets do a proposition, anytime a gun is used for a crime we publish the history of the weapon (with innocent names redacted) . This will stop local pd’s and others from concealing the weapons history.


-3

“absence of morals” Can’t enforce morals, nor disarm someone’s poor morals.


However lets name and hold partially responsible (as a %, criminal not civil ) the parents or persons who raised the juveniles . Bad parents don’t care to be more responsible, only $ or jail will work..


1

This is Santa Maria, the gangs are in charge. I’m sure the Santa Maria Police can ensure my safety while shopping or doing other business but the residents are screwed.


2

I find this so so sad. How the heck did a 14 year old obtain a gun and what causes such a young person to shoot someone? We as a society need to work together and put a stop to so much craziness.


11

I agree whole heartedly. But then we have those who think that this sort of thing is just the price for letting them have whole arsenals of weapons that they have various excuses to “need”. So, we have some states with vey lax laws, where individuals can really stock up to do business and bring them to states with stricter laws and sell them illegally to the criminals there. That way ALL the criminals can have as many guns as they want, and their kids can have them too.


I can remember when obtaining a firearm was not quite as easy as that and there were not even a fraction of the killings and maiming that goes on daily now. But people have been very easily convinced that it is their “right” to be heavily armed and any attempt to regulate that situation would make them vulnerable to an authoritarian government. The ironic part is that they are the same people who are voting for authoritarians, IMHO. And weapons manufacturers are getting obscenely wealthy on the death and suffering that this mind-set has caused.


The concept of a lack of excess deadly weapons leaving us vulnerable to authoritarian take over is laughable, given that there are so many other countries in Europe and elsewhere that have much more reasonable gun laws and they actually enjoy a more functional form of democracy than we do. Not to mention a distinctly higher standard of life. And even though they have just as much mental illness per capita, their murder rates are very low and gun crimes almost non-existent.


There, I said it. All they can do is vote me down for pointing out the obvious.


-18

NipomoisGr8 Please address the Policies, events and arguments, not the person.


-2

Most gun owners are hard working respectable human beings. Dont bother us and we wont bother you.


1

Most. Are not the problem. That leaves 30% outside the bell curve causing trouble. Most. Choose to ignore this. Most. Point to their law abiding nature to absolve themselves of the need to do anything about it. Most believe turning a blind eye to a problem is not a respectable thing to do.


0

Lets be honest guns are not going anywhere. Nobody is going to give them up and nobody is going to take them away. Poor parenting and poor schools is what we need to focus on.


1