The names have been released of two men killed in Lompoc’s latest fatal shootings that occurred hours apart on Sunday.
At approximately 11:50 a.m. Sunday, Lompoc police and firefighters were dispatched to the 500 block of North M Street on a report of shots fired in the area just south of Lompoc High School.
He was transported to a local hospital with gunshot wounds, but was pronounced dead.
The man killed was Tony Villa, 27, of Lompoc, police Sgt. Vincent Magallon said Thursday.
Shortly after 2 p.m., police officers at the first crime scene heard gunshots a short distance away, believed to be near the intersection of West Maple Avenue and North K Street.
A 20-year-old man with gunshot wounds was located in the 300 block of West Maple. He was transported to a hospital, where he, too, was pronounced dead.
Killed in the second shooting was Juan Duarte, 20, also of Lompoc, Magallon said.
A second gunshot victim, a 31-year-old man, also was found at the second scene and taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities say he was released from the hospital later Sunday.
GoFundMe pages have been set up to assist with funeral expenses for families of both Villa and Duarte.
For Villa, $1,360 had been raised toward the $15,000 goal to help the man’s family, according to the page which is available by clicking here.
“Tony was a wonderful brother, father, friend, son etc. who touched the lives of those around him. He leaves behind two little daughters,” the site says.
A different fundraising page, available by clicking here, said Duarte was known as Juanito, and had raised $1,200 toward a $10,000 goal as of Thursday.
The page stated: “Juanito you were so full of life and such a happy soul, we will all miss you until we meet again and we will lil bro!”
Lompoc has recorded four homicides in 2021, and police have investigated more than 60 shootings since Jan. 1.
Not all of the 63 shootings have resulted in injuries, and not all of them have been linked to gang activity, according to police.
Anyone with information about either shooting can call Lompoc police at 805.736.2341 or notify the department via the agency’s mobile application.
— 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.