An 18-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of Santa Maria resident during an altercation on Memorial Day weekend.
At about 10 p.m. May 30, Santa Maria police officers were dispatched to a reported shooting in the area of Boone and Curryer streets.
Upon arrival, officers located a male subject lying in the street with an apparent gunshot wound.
Medical personnel arrived on scene and transported him to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
On Tuesday, police identified the victim as Rafael Santos Toribio, 38, of Santa Maria.
During the investigation, detectives gathered evidence that led to the identity of the alleged suspect, Fernando Cervantes Camarillo, 18, of Santa Maria, Lt. Terry Flaa said Tuesday.
“Based on the investigation thus far, it appears Camarillo, and others, physically assaulted the victim during a dispute,” Flaa said. “It is alleged that during the altercation, Camarillo shot the victim, which resulted in his death.
“At this point, gang involvement has not been determined and it is still under investigation,” Flaa added.
Camarillo was arrested Monday night at his home for suspicion of murder and subsequently booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail with bail set at $2 million.
Anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to call the Santa Maria Police Department at 805.928.3781, ext. 2277 or the tip line at 805.928.3781, ext. 2677 (COPS).
Toribio’s killing marked the fifth homicide in the city during 2021 and occurred two days after another fatal shooting in Santa Maria. Police also have arrested a suspect in the May 28 shooting.
—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.