Oxnard Police Department – Incident Press Release
On January 23, 2020, at approximately 11:20 A.M., the Oxnard Police Department received a call of a possible shooting victim at McAuliffe Elementary School, located at 3300 Via Marina Avenue. Initial reports indicated a student had been struck by gunfire while on the playground and then taken into a nearby classroom. A large scale response was initiated due to the nature and location of the incident. When the initial officers arrived on scene, they immediately made entry into the school and located the victim, a 9-year-old female student, in a classroom. The victim was suffering from what appeared to be a gunshot wound to her lower extremity. The victim was given immediate aid and was quickly transported to a local hospital for treatment. She is currently listed in stable condition.
As the incident continued to unfold, all available police personnel responded to the scene to assist and the Oxnard P.D. Violent Crimes Unit (VCU) assumed responsibility for the investigation. Preliminary information quickly indicated that the shooting did not occur on campus. Witnesses in the area reported that two vehicles were observed driving erratically in the area of the school. One vehicle appeared to be following the other. At one point, gunfire erupted and the occupants of one vehicle appeared to be shooting at the other vehicle. It is believed that a stray bullet from the shooting struck the victim, who was on the playground of the school. Both vehicles fled the area.
Police units checking the area located what is believed to be one of the involved vehicles in the Sea View Estates Neighborhood, which is located north of the school. The vehicle was unoccupied, however, two subjects who were in the immediate area of the vehicle were contacted and detained. They were later released without any charges.
After the shooting took place, McAuliffe School was placed on “lockdown” as students and faculty sheltered in place until police officers cleared the campus and determined that there was no other immediate threat and no other students were injured. The Oxnard School District implemented a student/parent reunification plan and coordinated that effort with school staff.
Oxnard Police Chief Scott Whitney was on scene at McAuliffe Elementary and said the following, “Our schools should be the safest place for our kids during the school day. This type of violent crime is unacceptable. We know there are individuals within the community that have information about what happened. With that information, and with the hard work of our detectives, I’m confident that we’ll make an arrest in this case.”
No further information is available at this time as the investigation is still active and ongoing. Anyone who witnessed the event or has any information about the incident or involved parties is encouraged to contact Detective Carey Everhart at (805) 486-6228.
The Oxnard Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit is committed to reducing gang crimes and gun violence in the City of Oxnard through the strict enforcement of laws specifically targeting known, active gang members residing in the city. Anyone with information regarding criminal activity is encouraged to contact the Oxnard Police Department at (805) 385-7600, or online via the Oxnard Police Department’s website: www.oxnardpd.org, and clicking on Report Suspicious Activity. You can remain anonymous if you choose to do so. You can also remain anonymous by calling the Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. You can also visit this site: www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org to submit a tip via text or email.
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