Santa Barbara police are still pursuing a suspect and his associates in a Westside shooting that occurred Monday morning. The victim remains in serious but stable condition.

The victim, whose identity still hasn’t been released, was shot in the face inside a home at 1535 Gillespie St. after the suspect knocked on the door.

Detectives said the suspect punched a middle-age female resident of the home when she answered the door, knocking her down. When her nephew stepped in to intervene, he was shot in the head at close range.

According to a police statement released Tuesday evening, X-rays revealed that the bullet had pierced the victim’s skull and traveled partially around his head, lodging inside. Doctors removed the bullet, and the victim is conscious and responsive.

Officials have not announced a connection between the shooter and the victim, but say the suspect fled in a black Volvo driven by a white female with brown or blond hair. A white male in his 40s to 50s is also believed to have been in the vehicle, as well as two black males, one taller than the other.

Police say the suspect and his associates are believed to have been parked in the area for about an hour and a half on the 700 block of Alberta Street before the shooting. The suspect and the four others are reported to have left the scene in a late 1990s model black Volvo.

Anyone with information about the suspects or the vehicle is asked to contact Detective Mike Claytor at 805.897.2335.

— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com.