Information Sought in Gang Shooting

Detectives with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department are looking for witnesses to a gang shooting in El Rio on Wednesday night that wounded three men.

The men, two 20-year-olds and an 18-year-old, were not identified by authorities for fear that they would be put in danger, said Capt. Larry Robertson, who heads up the major crimes division for the Sheriff’s Department.

Robertson said details of the shooting are sketchy because the three men refused to cooperate with investigators.

“When we first contacted them, they claimed the bullets just fell from the sky,” he said. “One of them finally admitted that it was probably a rival gang who was responsible.”

Sheriff’s deputies first responded to a “shots fired” call about 8 p.m. Wednesday on the 2000 block of Balboa Street in El Rio. One of the victims, who was hit in the hand, was spotted nearby and was transported to Ventura County Medical Center. The other two victims were taken in a private vehicle to St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, authorities said. All three were treated and released.

Detectives are encouraging any witnesses to the shooting to contact Sgt. Ralph Zermeno at 654-2353.

“If we’re lucky enough and can get to the bottom of this, maybe we can prevent something worse from happening,” Robertson said.