SANTA PAULA : 15-Year-Old Boy Shot in Stomach
A 15-year-old Santa Paula boy was shot in the stomach Wednesday during a gang-related fight with three other youths, police said.
The victim, whose name was not released, was in stable condition Wednesday evening at Santa Paula Memorial Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The shooting occurred on Palm Avenue near Harvard Boulevard shortly after noon.
Santa Paula Police Cmdr. Mark Hanson said the confrontation started off as a “one-on-one” fight. Two other youths then joined in, making it three against one.
“The one was holding his own,” Hanson said. “This persuaded one of the three to go to a car and get a gun.”
The youth returned with a .38-caliber handgun and shot the 15-year-old in the stomach.
When police arrived, the victim had been taken to the hospital in a private car and the other youths had fled, Hanson said.
Officers later recovered the bullet in the street. No arrests have been made and police have received little cooperation from the victim’s friends, Hanson said.
He described the victim as an “admitted gang member.”
“We’re just assuming it was retaliation over something the victim might have done at one point,” Hanson said.
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