Early morning shooting in Ventura leads to arrest of Ventura man

VENTURA, Calif. – A Ventura man was arrested early Wednesday morning for shooting a bystander with a handgun after an argument broke out between a group of men, according to the Ventura Police Department.

Ventura Police officers received a call about gunshots fired in the area of Scottsdale Street and Jasper Avenue just before 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, according to Commander Rick Murray.

Investigation into the incident revealed that the suspect, a 41-year-old man from Ventura, confronted two men who were inside a private community pool after hours, Murray said. The men got in an argument and then the suspect left, he added.

However, when the two men left the pool area back to their car, the suspect was standing near the door of the car.

The suspect tried to prevent the two men from leaving and another argument broke out, Murray said.

A woman who knew the two men arrived to de-escalate the situation, and then "a scuffle" broke out between the three men, according to Murray.

The suspect pulled out a gun and fired one round, striking the female bystander.

Officers were able to arrive within minutes of the original call, and saw the suspect fleeing, jumping fences into residential backyards, Murray said.

At the same time, officers received information that a female victim had been dropped off at the Ventura County Medical Center for a gunshot wound to the arm, he added.

Officers chased the man into a house that was determined to be his, and the suspect surrendered after 45 minutes of negotiating with police.

He was booked into the Ventura County Jail for attempted murder with a bail set at $510,000.