Three alleged juvenile gang associates from Ventura County will be arraigned today on charges connected to the Dec. 9 fatal shooting of an innocent bystander on Stearns Wharf who was allegedly caught in the middle of a crossfire between them and rival Santa Barbara gang associates.
Over the weekend, Mayor Randy Rowse issued a statement denouncing the shooting and those involved, and praising police for their hard work apprehending the accused participants.
“The crime committed on Stearns Wharf in December was horrific, random and senseless,” Mayor Rowse said. “This tragic act cost the life of an innocent bystander who, as we understand it now, was enjoying our city as a visitor. This is absolutely unacceptable. The level of crime of any kind that can be tolerated is zero, but this event was particularly heinous.
“The police work involved to investigate this crime was performed in a deliberate, precise way and resulted in the identification and arrests of seven suspects,” he added. “These actors are now off of our streets and facing the full measure of the law. The thorough and patient procedures followed by our law enforcement personnel, while criticized by some, will help to ensure that the victim’s loved ones can begin to receive some closure.”
Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch announced Friday that three juveniles had been charged in connection with the killing of Robert Dion Gutierrez, 52, of Camarillo, that occurred at Stearns Wharf on Dec. 9.
Two of the three juveniles, both 15, have been charged with murder in connection with the slaying, with the special allegation that they “discharged a firearm proximately causing death.”
The third juvenile, 16, has been charged with being an accessory after the fact to
murder, and with illegal possession of an unregistered firearm.
The three juveniles remain in custody and are scheduled to be arraigned today at the Santa Maria Juvenile Court.
The three juveniles were arrested by Santa Barbara Police Department officers on Thursday. Their arrests were the result of an intense police investigation to identify and bring to justice additional suspects following the Jan. 19 arrest of four adult suspects in Santa Barbara who allegedly were involved in the slaying, Lt. Kasi Corbett said.
Santa Barbara Police, assisted by several outside agencies, served search and arrest warrants at multiple locations in Los Angeles County and Ventura County, she said.
A firearm was recovered in the course of executing the search and arrest warrants, but it is not known at this time if the gun was used in the commission of the crime. Police described Mr. Gutierrez as an innocent bystander who was in Santa Barbara with his wife walking on Stearns Wharf “when he was struck and killed by one of the rounds fired during an altercation between two groups of individuals at the base of the wharf.
“One group involved in the altercation has been identified as local Santa Barbara area residents with ties to a local Santa Barbara street gang,” police said. “The opposing group in the altercation has been identified as Ventura County residents with ties to Ventura County street gangs.”
Anyone with information regarding this homicide investigation is asked to call the Santa Barbara Police Department Detective Bureau at 805-897-2347.
“The Santa Barbara Police Department remains committed to ensuring every suspect that the evidence shows participated in the heinous murder of Mr. Gutierrez is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Lt. Corbett said.
The four adult defendants charged in the murder case appeared in Superior Court on Friday to enter pleas, but their arraignments were continued to Feb. 27, Senior Deputy District Attorney Tate McCallister said.
Jiram Jhunue Tenorio Ramon, 22, is charged with murder with the special circumstance of committing the murder to benefit a criminal street gang and the special allegation of personal use of a firearm causing death. He is also charged with conspiracy to commit murder and criminal street gang conspiracy.
Ricardo Tomas Jauregui-Moreno Jr., 20, and Christopher Dave Miranda, 21, are each charged with murder, with special allegations of committing the murder for the benefit of a criminal street gang (Westside-Santa Barbara) and principal use of a handgun, conspiracy to commit murder and criminal street gang conspiracy.
Mr. Jauregui-Moreno is also charged with having been previously convicted of a violent felony or “strike” offense.
James Lee Rosborough, 21, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, criminal street gang conspiracy and being an accessory after the fact, with the special allegation of committing the crime for the benefit of a criminal street gang.
Prosecutors allege the four adult defendants from Santa Barbara, driving on Stearns Wharf, verbally challenged their Ventura County rivals, and that they stopped their vehicle for the purpose of deploying two of their party to attack them with a firearm.
Prosecutors said the four Santa Barbara defendants fled the scene of the shooting afterward, two on foot and two by vehicle, and that those in the vehicle then circled back to the location of the shooting to extract those who fled on foot to avoid apprehension.
Santa Barbara police officers and Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol responded around 8:40 p.m. Dec. 9 to the area of Stearns Wharf and Cabrillo Boulevard for a report of a shooting that had just occurred.
Upon arrival, officers located a man suffering from a single gunshot wound. The man, later identified as Mr. Gutierrez, was provided medical attention on scene and transported by ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment. He died on Dec. 20.
“Mr. Gutierrez’s death was a direct result of the gunshot wound he sustained on Dec. 9, deeming this case a homicide investigation,” police said at the time.
Santa Barbara Police detectives continually investigated the homicide, and “their extensive and diligent investigation led to the identification of multiple suspects connected to a local criminal street gang,” police said.
The Santa Barbara Police Department, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office executed search-and-arrest warrants at several locations throughout the city and county, and the four adult defendants were arrested.
A 16-year-old male was also arrested on suspicion of being a juvenile in possession of a firearm.
“I am proud of the work done by our police department and their collaboration with other agencies to bring this tragic episode to a final resolution,” Mayor Rowse said in his statement. “The information collected in the process should also help serve to protect and defend this community from a recurrence of these events going forward.”
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