Three people have been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man in northwest Santa Maria on Labor Day weekend.
At approximately 12:45 a.m. Sept. 3, officers were dispatched to a report of shots fired on the 2000 block of Lazo Way in a northwest neighborhood, according to the Santa Maria Police Department.
Officers found the victim, identified as Edward Jonathan Ramirez of Santa Maria, who had been shot while near the roadway.
Since that time, police detectives have continued investigating the shooting and, as a result, three suspects have been linked to the homicide, Lt. Paul Van Meel said Thursday.
The defendants and their charges in the case are:
» Thomas Castillo, 31, gang conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit street terrorism, possession of a firearm (a pipe gun and 9 mm handgun) by a felon and possession of ammunition by a felon. He has a prior conviction and first strike for carjacking.
» Nicholas Guzman, 19, gang conspiracy to commit murder, gang conspiracy for possession of a firearm and unlawful firearm activity involving both a pipe gun and a 9 mm handgun. He also faces a misdemeanor vandalism charge.
» Juan Contreras, 19, gang conspiracy to commit murder.
The fatal shooting reportedly occurred during a dispute involving Santa Maria’s rival criminal gangs, West Park and Northwest.
This case remains under investigation, Van Meel said.
The second amended complaint, with 11 criminal counts, was filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court earlier this month, Deputy Public Defender Mai Trieu said.
The Police Department is requesting anyone with information on this homicide call 805.928.3781, ext. 2278.
The tip line can be accessed by calling 805.928.3781, ext. 2677 or sending an anonymous tip via the Police Department webpage by clicking here.
— 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.