Gunshots into Goleta building won’t set back barber shop crew

The Wolf’s Head barber shop crew in Goleta says they love their new location, and recent gunshots into their business won’t set back their efforts.

Owner Cristian Sagastume says he has no idea who would fire what’s said to be nine shots into windows and walls in the early morning hours of March 15. No one was inside at that time.

Some of the bullets came from a high powered weapon, going through the front wall and also a back wall then into a refrigerator and utility line.

One bullet shattered the base of a vintage chair once believed to be used by former President Richard Nixon.

A 13-star American flag on the back wall has two bullet holes in it.

The shootings took place two months after the business opened and two days after the sign went up.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department has detectives investigating and a forensics team examining bullets, and any available nearby video.

” It slowed us down for a couple of days but it woke us back up, ” said Sagastume . He says customers were back in the chairs as soon as they opened their doors.
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” We don’t know who it is. We don’t have any problems with anybody. We are on edge because we don’t know who is it and why? We are a part of the community and we like to take care of people it’s what we do. It is what barber shops do, ” said Sagastume .

Santa Barbara City Councilman Jason Dominguez came out to Goleta by for a hair cut and said when Wolf’s Head was on lower State Street the staff worked closely with the city on solving mental health and homeless issues.

” It was how I learned to look at the facts, come up with solutions to whatever concerns they might have and really keep it solution oriented, ” said Dominguez.

Sagastume formerly had shop in the 400 block of State Street. He dealt with vagrants, homeless issues, vandalism and nuisance crimes for months, often calling police or working with outreach organizations to manage the people who were in that troubled block. There’s was nothing like that at his front door now in Goleta but now, he is dealing with gunshots.

Wolf’s Head is on Storke Road in a popular shopping center that will soon welcome a full sized Target store and thousands of vehicles a week in and out of the parking lot. The site is next to already busy businesses including Rusty’s, Chipoltle , French Press and Ca’Dario .

Sagastume believes mental health issues are at the core of many crimes he sees downtown and now at his new location. ” So after this happened again, another mental health issue with gun violence now it hits home so for us, ” he said. But he is looking at solutions already. ” Let’s take a negative thing and turn it into something positive. ”
In May the crew is now going to donate $5 for every haircut to a mental health and wellness cause. They will also get some training for employees to help customers facing difficult times.

Anthony Rodriguez with the Santa Barbara Response Network came by the shop on Friday and discussed options, services, printed material and solutions.
” I think that’s great. If someone is in a chair it’s great to have a conversation and they can curate and experience and they can reflect on the day, ” said Dominguez about having the barbers help customers in distress.

” We are going to take this and turn it into something positive. Something like this isn’t going to stop us, ” said Sagastume .

Later this year they plan to have an event to help school kids in the area as part of their community contributions.