Around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 2, a teenager was shot near the 500 block of North L and M streets in Lompoc.
Following the incident, a family member transported the juvenile to the Lompoc Valley Medical Center to get treatment for the gunshot wound. The teenager was then transported to a different hospital via helicopter, according to a news release from the Lompoc Police Department. As of Dec. 2, the juvenile was in stable condition.
The department couldn’t be reached for additional details prior to the Sun’s press time.
This most recent shooting continues the trend of a violent year for the city of roughly 44,000 people. There have been seven homicides in the city since January, in addition to an increase in violent crimes overall.
On Oct. 12, Erik Villa Vargas was shot and killed near the 700 block of North F and G streets. Two other victims were injured in the shooting. Police arrested Raymond Ramon Vega, who pleaded not guilty to murder, attempted murder, and other charges on Nov. 26.
A month prior to these shootings, Marlon Brumfield, a solider visiting home while on leave from Germany, was killed near the intersection of Ocean Avenue and A Street on Sept. 8. The police arrested suspect Francisco Gutierrez Ortega, who pleaded not guilty to murder and a street gang activity charge on Oct. 17.
Following these two murders, residents have begun looking for solutions to the violence plaguing the city. After Brumfield was killed, residents held a march through the city. Shortly after Vargas was killed, a group of residents gathered to discuss these problems facing the city.
—Zac Ezzone
This article appears in Dec 5-12, 2019.