Neighbors Call Shooting Death a ‘Mystery’

Neighbors of a pregnant Southeast San Diego woman who was shot to death over the weekend said Monday that they were shocked by the drive-by killing and that they believe Barbara Pargo, 21, was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Pargo, who was three months’ pregnant, was found dead from a bullet wound to the head at 10:39 p.m. Saturday.

She had been standing at 49th Street and Solola Avenue with a friend, Anthony Lewis, 22, who was shot in the neck. He was treated and released from Paradise Valley Hospital, said San Diego police spokesman Dave Cohen.

“I’m surprised. I’ve been here 22 years and nothing like this has ever happened,” said Thomas Belcher, who lives near the Pargo house on Pelusa Street, a quiet area a few blocks away from where the shooting occurred.

Detective Richard Allen said that while the shooting may have been drug-related, Pargo was probably an innocent bystander. He said investigators have some information on the vehicle used and other leads he couldn’t divulge. But police don’t have any suspects yet, Allen said.

Pargo and her mother, Ruth, had lived on Pelusa Street, which is one block long, for about three years, Belcher said. The two frequently baby-sat for relatives, said another neighbor, Joleen Webb.

“It did shock us. We have four boys, and we’re really not thrilled to have them on the street now,” Webb said.

“These are churchgoing people and this is a quiet street. We have a Neighborhood Watch--we look out for each other,” said Josephine Gonzalez, who lives across from the Pargo family.

“It’s a mystery. If anyone knows anything, no one’s saying anything,” she said.

Gonzalez said that the corner Pargo and Lewis were on, which is the site of an apartment complex, has recently become a spot for socializing.

In another weekend fatality, Kurtis Perone, 24, was found shot in the head in his gray pickup truck at about 9:30 Sunday night. The truck was parked on 41st Street, south of F Street, and police found Perone after responding to neighbors’ reports of shots, police Sgt. Hank Olais said.

Perone lived in the 3100 block of Ibis Street in Mission Hills, Olais said. There are no suspects or motive in the killing, he said.

Other unrelated drive-by shootings over the weekend left a half-dozen people injured, Cohen said.