Youth Shot in Neck Released by Hospital

A Port Hueneme youth is lucky to be alive after he was shot through the neck by a suspected gang member, police said Tuesday.

“He got lucky, big time,” Port Hueneme Sgt. Ron Burns said. “The bullet missed any vital veins, arteries or the spinal cord.”

The 16-year-old boy was treated and released at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard within hours of the shooting Monday night, police said.

The youth, who police suspect is a gang member, was shot as he visited with neighbors on New Year’s Day in the 200 block of A Street.

While the youth spoke with friends near the kitchen, a man leaned into the apartment through the open front door and shot the youth with a revolver, police said.

“The juvenile had his back to the door,” Burns said. “He saw the flash of a gun as he turned around.”

The bleeding victim and another friend chased the suspect who eluded them and fled in a brown Chrysler, police said. Police arrived after several neighbors called 911.

Burns said he is unsure whether the shooting is related to the double homicide in nearby Oxnard committed about 12 hours earlier.

“We’re still investigating several leads,” he said. “But we do think this was a gang-related incident.”