Quick Take
A shooting near the Parish Publick House on Santa Cruz's Westside on Friday evening injured two men who were described as innocent bystanders and are expected to survive. Police are investigating nearby surveillance footage but say they are still searching for leads on the suspected shooter.
Police say two men injured in a drive-by shooting outside of a Westside Santa Cruz restaurant and bar were innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire of a dispute between rival gangs. Both men are both expected to survive, and investigators are searching for suspects.
The shooting happened shortly before 8 p.m. Friday when, police say, a silver sedan pulled up to the intersection of Almar Avenue and Rankin Street near the front of the Parish Publick House. A suspect exited the vehicle and fired multiple shots, hitting the two victims, before returning to the car and speeding away from the scene.
Santa Cruz Police Department Deputy Chief Jon Bush said Monday that while there is currently no description of the suspect, the two victims are white males in their early-to-mid-50s.
A police officer who was in the area quickly came to the scene and administered medical care, said Bush. The two victims were transported to a trauma center, where they remain in stable condition. They are both expected to pull through, he said.
Bush said investigators learned that the suspect had engaged in a verbal altercation shortly before the shooting and that the intended targets were members of rival gangs. However, the suspect missed their targets, hitting the two bystanders instead.
“Basically, one suspect got out of the car and started shooting at an opposing gang, unfortunately missed their target, and instead hit two uninvolved victims,” said Bush. “They didn’t have anything to do with it.”
He added that investigators are pulling video footage from nearby businesses to see if they can find recordings of the shooting or the suspect vehicle fleeing the scene. There are otherwise no leads on the suspect or the type of silver sedan that the suspect was driving.
“We have our full investigative resources working right now and hopefully we’ll get a suspect lead soon and make an arrest,” Bush said.
Bush said that while police have seen no particular increase in gang activity recently, this incident represents a big concern for law enforcement agencies.
“A huge concern for us, obviously, whether a shooting is gang-related or not, is innocent bystanders getting caught in the crossfire,” he said. “This is an unfortunate and isolated incident that happens when gang members get involved and commit crimes like these.”
Workers at the Parish Publick House declined to speak about the shooting early Monday afternoon.
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