The discovery of a badly injured man who died at the scene in a southeast section of Santa Maria early Saturday morning has prompted an investigation into the killing.
At approximately 1 a.m., officers were sent to the area of Sunrise Drive and Bradley Road after dispatchers received multiple calls of shots fired, Santa Maria police Lt. Paul Van Meel said.
Officers discovered an adult male who had a possible gunshot wound and a stab wound, Van Meel said.
Police attempted life-saving measures, however the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives investigated the man’s killing through the morning and resumed their efforts later Saturday.
“They’re reviewing surveillance video and witness statements and all the reports are coming together to piece together a picture,” Lt. Russ Mengel said.
The man was found in the roadway of a nice neighborhood where violent crime is extremely rare.
It’s not clear whether the slaying involved gang activity.
“We haven’t eliminated it yet,” Mengel said.
The victim’s name, age, and hometown were not released since family members need to be notified about his death.
Anyone with information on this homicide can call Detective Andrew Brice at 805.928.3781, ext. 1261, Dispatch Center at 805.928.3781, ext. 2278 or the tip line at 805.928.3781, ext. 2677.
This is the fourth homicide of 2018 in Santa Maria.
In February, a 19-year-old man was arrested for suspicion of shooting his 13-year-old brother, Leonardo Navarro, at their home on the 600 block of West Polk Street. The Tommie Kunst Junior High School student died later at the hospital.
Francisco Navarro, who was on probation at the time of the shooting, faces involuntary manslaughter and unlawful firearm activity charges along with four counts of child abuse likely to produce great bodily harm or death, one for each of the four children in the home.
Later in February, a 25-year-old stabbing victim was found in the 800 block of West Morrison Avenue. Officers said the victim, Albert Flores Jr., had received multiple wounds in his torso from a stabbing. Police have not announced any arrests in that case.
On June 19, in the1700 block of South Thonrburg Street, police found Thomas Dutart, 82, had been stabbed near his residence, Police said he later died from his injuries.
Weeks later, police revealed the victim had provided a deathbed description of the suspect as a Latino man, between the ages of 30 and 40 and about 5 feet 10 inches tall. The suspect also was heavyset and had curly hair, police said.
No arrests have been made in that case.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.