Ventura Man, 36, Fatally Stabbed

A Ventura man stabbed in an alleyway fracas Tuesday afternoon died early Wednesday morning at Ventura County Medical Center.

Michael Eugene Carter, 36, of Ventura died at 2:12 a.m. Wednesday after suffering a stab wound to his abdomen.

Steve Avila Gastelo, 29, of San Fernando was arrested on suspicion of murder and was being held at Ventura County Jail.

According to the Ventura Police Department, Carter and two friends, Donald Ray Blackwelder and Nazar Solis, both of Ventura, were walking in an alley near Center and Cedar streets about 5:40 p.m. when they crossed paths with Gastelo.

Gastelo is a transient, police said, and Carter, Blackwelder and Solis are self-employed tree trimmers.

“There was some bad blood between them,” said Sgt. Bob Anderson of the Ventura Police Department.

The four men began arguing, Anderson said, and--according to the account Blackwelder and Solis gave police--Gastelo began chasing Solis, who ran and then fell. When Carter tried to intervene, Solis and Blackwelder told police, Gastelo stabbed him with a knife, Anderson said.

Gastelo, however, said he was acting in self-defense, Anderson said. Gastelo suffered a laceration to his hand during the fight, according to a police report.

Carter was wearing a knife on his belt at the time of the incident, but police say they are not sure if it was pulled out in the brawl or used against Gastelo.