Veterinary assistant Rebecca Dixon had to keep calm for clients at Wilder Animal Hospital on Monday afternoon as Santa Barbara County sheriff‘s deputies told them to go into lockdown after a fatal shooting at the Ralphs grocery store at the Magnolia Shopping Center near Goleta.

“I was a little nervous because I didn’t know if they were trying to find someone or what was going on,” Dixon said. “So, I was a little anxious at that point, but I was trying to keep calm for the clients that were in here, and just trying to keep it mellow the best I could.”

The shooting happened after deputies were called to the store, at 5170 Hollister Ave., on a report of a man being attacked with a knife. A male suspect was reportedly abusing the victim’s dog. 

The suspect then went inside the Ralphs store, where deputies attempted to apprehend him, but an “altercation” led to the deputies firing their weapons and shooting the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

While the incident was shocking for many customers and people who work in the shopping center, it hasn’t deterred customers from shopping in Ralphs or going to the other businesses in the area.

The shooting led to Ralphs closing the store for the rest of Monday, and the entire Magnolia Shopping Center was temporarily closed as investigators responded to the scene. The store reopened Tuesday morning.

Dixon told Noozhawk that on Monday afternoon she saw multiple law enforcement officers outside and people standing outside the Ralphs. When a coworker went outside to see what was going on, deputies reportedly told them to go inside and go into lockdown. 

Dixon said they had to call all of their clients who had appointments for the following hour to let them know they might not be able to come in. 

The animal hospital was reportedly in lockdown for 45 minutes, and while clients weren’t able to drive into the parking lot, Dixon said they were able to walk to the facility. 

Since the shooting, Dixon said she still goes to Ralphs to get her lunch and doesn’t have any safety concerns. Even before the incident, she said law enforcement was usually around and making sure employees got to their vehicles safely.

Gina Blankenship said she regularly goes to Ralphs and was shocked to learn about the shooting.

“I am so glad that no policemen were hurt or no one else, but I hate to think that someone died there,” Blankenship said.

As a regular customer, Blankenship said she’s never worried about her safety in the shopping center before and that the shooting isn’t going to stop her now. 

“I mean, you have to shop. You can’t live in fear,” she said. “I’m going to come back here, but I was looking around a lot. I’m more observant of people around me, definitely.”

Marcos Valles, owner of Magnolia Barber Shop at 5116 Hollister Ave., said he wasn’t working when the shooting happened but that many customers have reached out to check on them since it happened. 

“Stuff like that doesn’t happen too often in our community,” Valles said, “so it’s a little nerve-wracking knowing that happened across the street.”

Shirley Moore said she was planning to shop at Ralphs on Monday when she saw everything blocked off. 

“I was very concerned because I knew something awful had happened,” Moore said. “It’s kind of frightening.”

While she said the shooting was tragic, Moore added that she doesn’t have any concerns about going to the shopping center now as she believes it was a one-off incident. 

“I was very sad about that. It was tragic what happened, but it wasn’t like a mass shooting. It was a random act,” Moore said. “It was tragic and frightening for the people that were in there, I’m sure.”

The incident is still under investigation. The two deputies involved have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is part of the Sheriff’s Office policy. 

The department did not report the names and employment details for those deputies.

The deputies were uninjured in the incident, and the stabbing victim was treated at a hospital and has since been released. The dog was uninjured, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The identity of the deceased has not been released and is pending the notification of the next of kin.