A 29-year-old man was killed in an early morning shooting in Santa Maria on Friday, and detectives were working to identify anyone responsible for the city’s fourth homicide of 2021.

Shortly after 2 a.m., personnel from the Santa Maria Fire and Police departments, along with an AMR ambulance, were dispatched to the area of Highway 101 and North Broadway.

The Santa Maria resident was pronounced dead in a vehicle in the area due to his injuries from the shooting, according to Lt. Terry Flaa.

Officers determined the shooting had occurred on the 100 block of East Grant Street.

“It’s an active investigation, and we’re working on identifying the individual or individuals responsible for this crime, as well as searching for evidence,” Flaa told Noozhawk.

Detectives had not yet determined a motive for the slaying, he added.

Late Friday morning, police were busy collecting surveillance camera video that may have captured the shooting and as well as gathering other evidence.

The victim’s name will not be released until family members have been notified, Flaa added.

The northbound onramp to Highway 101 in Santa Maria was closed for several hours while police investigated the incident, but had reopened by 9:30 a.m. 

Check back to Noozhawk for updates to this story. 

— 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.