Teen Shot in Leg; 2 Assailants Sought

Two suspected gang members shot a 17-year-old Oxnard boy twice in the leg Thursday in a Port Hueneme residential neighborhood, the latest example of simmering gang tensions in the region, police said.

Investigators are searching for the gunmen who shot Ruben Ramirez, who was treated for wounds to his upper left leg at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard.

The attackers fired four or five shots at Ramirez and a friend about noon on the driveway of a 7th Street residence, police said.

“I jumped the fence and a bullet went right by me,” the friend said shortly afterward. “I thought I was shot for sure . . . I guess they saw they missed me and they shot my homie.”

The four youths had exchanged words and the two attackers shouted their gang affiliation before one of the pair opened fire with a black handgun, said a neighbor who declined to give his name.

The hooded assailants fled, one on a bicycle that had been lying in a driveway. The bicycle was later abandoned several blocks away.

The residence where the shooting occurred had been the target of a drive-by shooting Tuesday night, neighbors said.

Thursday’s shooting is the latest in a series involving suspected gang members in Oxnard and Port Hueneme in recent months.

“This is our second gang shooting this year, one on New Year’s Day and one today,” Sgt. Jerry Beck said. “As far as we’re concerned, it’s two too many.”

Det. Tony Paradis described the mood on the streets of the two communities as “real ugly.” Ramirez’s friend agreed.

“It’s getting crazy, it’s getting to be like L.A.,” he said.