A 28-year-old Santa Maria man died Thursday night after shooting himself in a vehicle in a parking structure at UC Santa Barbara.
Emergency dispatchers received a 9-1-1 call at about 10:30 p.m. reporting a single gunshot in the Lot 22 structure on the western edge of the campus, adjacent to Isla Vista, according to UCSB Police Chief Dustin Olson.
UCSB police officers and Santa Barbara County firefighters found Oscar Novoa unresponsive inside a white sedan, Olson said.
He had suffered a gunshot wound to the head, and a handgun was found in the vehicle, Olson said.
Officers administered first-aid until paramedics arrived, Olson said.
Novoa was taken by Fire Department ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, Olson said.
The shooting was being investigated by the UC Police Department and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, but no foul play is suspected.
Novoa did not appear to have any affiliation with UCSB, Olson said.
Part of the parking garage was roped off while law enforcement investigated.
The UCSB Counseling and Psychological Services offers support 24 hours a day at 805.893.4411.
Other free, 24-hour Santa Barbara County services are the 24-hour toll-free hotline at 1.800.400.1572 and the SAFTY (Safe Alternatives for Treating Youth) Youth Crisis Hotline at 1.888.334.2777.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
