OXNARD : Teen-Ager Sought in Slaying at Store

Police on Monday said they are searching for a teen-ager in the shooting death of a Long Beach man in front of an Oxnard convenience store.

Moises Cerna Silva, 26, a former resident of Oxnard, was shot in the head a little after 2 a.m. Saturday after trying to buy the suspect and two other teen-agers some beer, said Sgt. Denny Phillips of the Oxnard Police Department. Silva died Saturday night at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard.

Phillips said Silva and two cousins pulled into the convenience store at Wooley Road and South C Street just before 2 a.m. and were approached by three juveniles between the ages of 15 and 17. The teen-agers asked Silva and his cousins to buy them beer. After reluctantly agreeing to make the purchase, Silva entered the store but was told he could not buy alcohol after 2 a.m., Phillips said.

“Apparently, there was some exchange of words, and as the victim started to leave in his car, one of the (juvenile) males started shooting,” Phillips said.

A total of three shots were fired from the suspect’s handgun. One of the shots struck Silva in the head, Phillips said. He said nothing in the investigation so far indicates Silva had any gang ties.

“We’re dealing with people who have little or no regard for human life,” Phillips said. “Two other shots were fired in the direction of the store. There could have been customers coming out.”

Phillips asked anyone with information regarding the slaying to contact the Major Crimes Unit of the Oxnard Police Department at 984-4690 or 984-4683.