Search Fails to Find Suspect in Shooting

Ventura County sheriff’s deputies continued to search Wednesday for the man who shot a 16-year-old Camarillo boy in the upscale Mission Oaks neighborhood.

Noah Shepard, who was wounded in the upper chest, was transferred from Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo to St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, Sgt. Keith Parks said.

On Tuesday, deputies searched with helicopters and dogs until nightfall for the suspect--described as a Latino in his early 20s, about 5 feet, 9 inches tall and 200 pounds, with dark clothing and a shaved head.

The afternoon’s rainstorms hampered the search, authorities said.

Investigators spent Wednesday interviewing the boy, his family and potential witnesses.

About 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Shepard was apparently chased by the suspect down a dirt path next to a steep, wooded area between Mulberry Ridge and Willow View Drive, authorities said. He told officers he did not know the man or why he was shot.

Shepard lives in the housing tract just below the area where the shooting occurred.

Mulberry Ridge residents heard his cries for help as he climbed up the hillside and staggered over lawns. A neighbor and two nurses who live on the street rushed to his aid and called 911.

A shell casing from a .45-caliber handgun was found near the scene. Authorities said they do not know whether the shooting was gang-related.