A man was airlifted to a Santa Barbara hospital late Saturday night following a shooting in Santa Maria, according to the Santa Maria Police Department.
At about 11:35 p.m., officers were dispatched to the area of Lincoln and Mill streets on a report of a shooting, and found the victim on the sidewalk, said Sgt. Andy Magallon.
The man was flown by Calstar medical helicopter to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment of his wounds.
His name and details on his condition were not available.
“The motive for the shooting is unknown, and is being investigated by the Santa Maria Police Detective Bureau,” Magallon said.
Investigators are still searching for the suspect in a homicide that occurred in the same vicinity on May 16, Magallon said, adding that “there is no indication that the two investigations are related.”
The suspect in that killing has been identified as Alfredo Alaniz Jr., 21, of Santa Maria.
He is suspected in the shooting death of Mario Angel Merino Gonzalez, 19, of Guadalupe.
Alaniz was described as a Hispanic male, 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds, with black hair and green eyes. He has a tattoo of a “S” on his right cheek and a tattoo of a ship on the left side of his head.
Anyone with information related to these investigations is urged to contact the Santa Maria Police Department at 805.928.3781 ext. 2277, or by calling the department’s tip line at 805.928.3781, ext. 2677.
— 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.