Fatal shooting in Santa Maria leaves woman dead, husband arrested

SANTA MARIA, Calif.- Around 10:43 p.m. Sunday night, Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies responded to a domestic disturbance at a home on the 1800 block of Ironwood Drive in Santa Maria.

Upon arriving, deputies contacted a 63-year-old man sitting in a car in front of the home. The man proceeded to tell deputies that he shot his 38-year-old wife inside the residence.

The man was detained while deputies entered the home and attempted to save the woman's life who they said appeared to have several gunshot wounds in her chest.

Santa Barbara County Fire and AMR arrived at the scene shortly after and took over life-saving efforts for the woman. Sadly, she was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:33 p.m.

The sheriff's office said a sheriff's volunteer chaplain and social services worker responded to provide support to the victim's family who were on scene during this tragedy.

Sheriff's detectives said they are continuing to investigate this incident. They do not believe there are any outstanding suspects at this time.

The official cause of death for the victim is being assessed by the sheriff's coroner. An autopsy has been scheduled for Wednesday and the findings are expected to be finalized after six weeks.

Sheriff's office crews remained at the scene for several hours after the event to collect evidence.

The 63-year-old man was ultimately arrested and booked at the County's Southern Branch Jail for murder. His bail was set at $2,000,000.