Full Notification

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is releasing additional information in regards to the Officer Involved Shooting that occurred at approximately 12:45 p.m. on May 7, 2019. To present date, the investigation has revealed that Santa Barbara Police Department officers were in the process of serving a high-risk search and arrest warrant at an apartment on Camino De Vida when the wanted subject, 32-year-old Francisco Anthony Alcaraz Jr., shot at them from the second story stairwell of his apartment and then from an upstairs rear bedroom window. Alcaraz was a documented gang member from the Santa Barbara area and was wanted for attempted murder due to his involvement in a suspected gang related shooting. Alcaraz resided in Lompoc, but was known to frequent the Camino De Vida apartment, the home of his wife and children. The warrant, a planned SWAT operation, was served at a time when Alcaraz was determined to be alone inside the apartment.

After examining the evidence collected, Sheriff’s detectives determined that Alcaraz was in possession of a 40-caliber semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine and shot a total of six rounds at officers in two separate exchanges of gunfire. One of the rounds struck an officer in the pant leg, but fortunately did not cause injury. Another round struck a SWAT vehicle where officers were taking cover.

In both instances where the suspect shot at officers, they returned fire. Five Santa Barbara Police Officers fired a total of 58 rounds at the suspect. An autopsy revealed that the suspect was struck four times and that he died as a result of his injuries. Preliminary indications are that none of the gunshot wounds were self-inflicted.

Once the investigation is complete, it will be forwarded to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office for review.