Youth, 15, Shot in Head During Fight at Party

A 15-year-old Oxnard boy was fighting for his life in the intensive care unit of a local hospital Sunday evening after being shot in the head during a fight early Sunday in Camarillo.

Two men are in County Jail in Ventura on suspicion of attempted murder, Ventura County sheriff’s officials said.

Authorities said Hugo Mesa, who was in grave condition after undergoing surgery, was at a party on Peoples Avenue in Camarillo when a fight broke out about 1:40 a.m. Several people tried to break up the fight and in the ensuing melee, Mesa was shot in the head.

It was not clear if Mesa was involved in the scuffle or was a bystander.

Mesa was taken by a friend to St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo before sheriff’s deputies arrived.

Witnesses implicated two men in the shootings, and both were arrested as they tried to leave the scene. Sheriff’s Capt. Bill Montijo identified them as Luis Ruiz, 30, and David Munoz, 34, both of Oxnard.

A weapon was seized at the scene and booked as evidence, Montijo said.

At 3:30 a.m. Sunday, Mesa was taken by ambulance to St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, where he underwent surgery.

On Sunday, Ruiz and Munoz were being held in lieu of $250,000 bail each.

The shooting does not appear to be gang-related, authorities said.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Camarillo Police Department at 388-5100.