Teen-Ager Dies From Wounds
An Oxnard teen-ager who was shot in the head while allegedly trying to rob an Oxnard Western-wear store died Saturday.
Jose Villanuba, 17, allegedly pointed a semiautomatic handgun at the owner of Tienda Nueva at 10:45 a.m. Friday and told him to freeze. The owner, Jose Morales, pushed a silent alarm, then pulled out his revolver and fired.
Villanuba was kept on life support at St. John’s Regional Medical Center on Friday, but died from his head injuries at 10:25 a.m. Saturday.
Police said they have not determined if there was a second suspect in the store at the time of the robbery attempt. Police, who questioned Morales for several hours Friday, said they are treating the shooting as justified.
Morales said Saturday that he felt forced to shoot Villanuba.
“He had a gun pointed at me and he was going to shoot me,” Morales said. “I had no choice.”
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