A 14-year-old Lompoc boy died late Friday night in a Santa Maria shooting that also left a Guadalupe man injured.
At approximately 10 p.m., officers from the Santa Maria Police Department were in the 1300 block of South Bradley Road checking on “an extremely large gathering of vehicles and persons in a nearby parking lot,” Lt. Daniel Rios said Saturday morning.
“While in the area, officers heard gunshots fired from within the large crowd,” Rios said. “Officers moved towards the gunfire, and located two gunshot wound victims amongst the crowd.
“A confrontation is believed to have preceded the shooting.”
One victim, a Lompoc teen, died as a result of his injuries, Rios said.
Police did not release his name as of Saturday afternoon, but family members identified the boy at Monte Zion Tagalu, who would have started his sophomore year at Cabrillo High School next month.
A 21-year-old Guadalupe man sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wound injuries.
Detectives and crime lab personnel responded to the scene and were still actively working this investigation, Rios said.
As of Saturday evening, police had not announced any arrests in connection with the shooting.
The unsanctioned gathering of vehicle enthusiasts took place in the parking lot of the former Costco building.
Video posted online shows one distraught person standing near someone lying on the ground as trucks and other vehicles drive away.
Detectives believe that numerous witnesses who were in the area left without talking to police and need to be interviewed, Rios said.
On Saturday afternoon, family and friends gathered at the parking lot to remember and mourn the boy, creating a memorial of candles and flowers near a tree.
A GoFundMe page, Funeral Funds for Monte Zion Tagalu, had raised more than $3,000 in eight hours Saturday with one donor sharing about the boy’s “beautiful smile and a laugh that made everyone else laugh.”
“He was only 14 years old and had so much life journeys ahead of him,” his family said.
It’s the family’s second tragedy in recent weeks. The fiancé of the boy’s sister died in a vehicle crash on Highway 246 between Solvang and Buellton last month.
Police have asked that witnesses related to Friday night’s shooting, along with anyone who may have any information, contact Detective Hesch at 805.928.3781 x1349 or the Communications Center at 805.928.3781 x2277.