A 17-year-old girl was killed outside a Lompoc convenience store by a stray bullet from gang-related drive-by shooting, according to police.
Lompoc Police Department officials said the shooting occurred at 7:40 p.m. on March 4 in the 600 block of Ocean Avenue and Walnut Avenue. Police said an unnamed adult male who was a “known gang member” was walking down an alleyway when a vehicle approached him. The unknown subjects inside the vehicle opened fire on the man. He was struck by one of the bullets but ran and managed to flee to a nearby apartment complex.
The teenage girl, whom police said was babysitting her younger family members at the time of the shooting, was outside when the shots were fired and was struck and killed by one of the bullets, according to police.
The police hadn’t released the name of the girl as of March 5 but said that she was not associated with the wounded adult male, who they believe was the actual target of the shooting. Police also said they believe the shooting is gang related. The adult male, who police have also declined to name, was transported to a hospital outside the city.
In a written statement issued hours after the shooting, Lompoc police said they did not have any suspect information. They are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call Sgt. Augustin Arias (805) 736-2341.
This article appears in Mar 7-14, 2019.