Slaying Victim Named

A man who was found shot to death Sunday afternoon inside his sport utility vehicle in Oxnard had been gone from his Ventura home since Friday and had been the subject of a missing person’s report, authorities said Monday.

Larry Joseph Barrios, 37, was shot several times in the lower abdomen as he sat in the driver’s seat of his GMC Yukon, authorities said. The vehicle was found in a covered parking space at a condominium complex in the 1900 block of Ginger Street.

The motive and the exact time of the shooting remain under investigation, Oxnard police spokesman David Keith said Monday.

“A couple of residents told us they believe they may have heard gunshots on Friday night, possibly around 9 or 10 p.m.,” Keith said, adding that no one reported the gunfire to police when it occurred.

After Barrios was discovered Sunday, residents told detectives they had seen him in the vehicle Saturday, but had thought he was sleeping. Barrios was sitting upright with the windows rolled down and his wounds were not easily visible, Keith said.

A passerby called 911 about 3 p.m. Sunday, asking authorities to check on Barrios, who seemed unresponsive. When police officers arrived, they discovered that Barrios had been dead for more than a day, Keith said.

Less than an hour after Oxnard police officers found him, one of Barrios’ family members in Ventura called Ventura police to report that Barrios had not returned home since leaving Friday evening.

Barrios’ relatives told authorities he was planning to go to Oxnard on Friday night, prompting Ventura police officers to call Oxnard police about the case.

Ventura police officers “described the vehicle and described Mr. Barrios and it all ended up pointing to the same person who was found here,” Keith said.

Barrios probably drove to the complex to see someone he knew, Keith said. There were no suspects as of Monday and the residents who normally park in the space where Barrios’ vehicle was found were not home when detectives arrived Sunday.

Anyone with information can call 982-7070. A reward of up to $1,000 is available for information leading to an arrest.

The killing is the 15th this year in Oxnard and the 28th in Ventura County.

“We are very concerned about the number of homicides and are using all the resources we can to address the problem,” Keith said.