Santa Maria Police are investigating two shootings that occurred on Sunday, but said it does not appear they are related.
Officers and other emergency personnel were dispatched at about 10:40 p.m. to the 400 block of North Miller Street on a report of a shooting, according to Lt. Russ Mengel.
“The victim was standing outside a home when he was shot by an unknown assailant,” Mengel told Noozhawk.
The adult male victim was airlifted by Calstar medical helicopter to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment of his injuries, and is expected to survive, Mengel said.
His name and details on his condition were not available.
The shooting occurred on the heels of an incident in which a juvenile was shot multiple times in the early morning hours on Sunday.
Officers responded at about 3:15 a.m. to Marian Regional Medical Center, where the juvenile victim had been taken for treatment of his injuries.
The boy sustained multiple non-life-threatening wounds to his leg, police said.
His name and details on his condition also were not available.
That victim told investigators he was walking in the area of Railroad and McElhaney avenues when he was shot.
Officers were unable to locate a crime scene or evidence of the shooting in that area, police said, and there was no suspect description.
“There is no reason to believe they are connected,” Mengel said of the two shootings.
He noted that there already have been 10 shootings in Santa Maria in 2022, and 121 in all of last year.
“We’ve been busy,” he added.
The investigation into the incidents was ongoing, and the Police Department’s Detective Bureau is asking for anyone with information regarding either one to call 805.928.3781 ext 2277.
— 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.