Stockton Bar Riddled With Bullets In Drive-By Shooting; 1 Dead, 1 Injured
STOCKTON (CBS13) — One man was injured and a woman was killed after an early morning shooting left a bar riddled with bullet holes in southeast Stockton on Sunday, the San Joaquin Sheriff's Office said.
At approximately 5:30 a.m., multiple people called 911 after shots were fired at the El Centenario Bar on East Mariposa Road. Police arrived on scene to find two victims inside.
"The man was struck in the elbow and the female was struck in the lower back," Deputy Andrea Lopez said.
The woman in her 30s was pronounced dead at 7:30 a.m. at an area hospital.
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Lopez said crime scene investigators recovered at least 24 casings in what appeared to be a drive-by shooting. Questions remained as to why the bar was open well after last call.
"We understand that this may have been a private party and that's why the incident happened at 5:30 this morning when a normal bar is shut down," Lopez said.
At least 50 party-goers were inside at the time of the shooting. Some vehicles in the parking lot still had bullets lodged in them and were towed as evidence.
With little to go on, the sheriff's department is calling for potential witnesses to come forward. Lopez said it is unknown at this time how many people were responsible for the shooting.
The sheriff's department said deputies are familiar with the bar, which is known to locals as La Oficina but dons a sign that reads El Centenario. Law enforcement said the bar has a violent past.
"We've had stabbings and shootings here," Lopez said. "It used to be a law office and now it's been changed."
Police hope footage from surveillance cameras mounted outside will garner clues as well as any information they can obtain from the fifty party goers that were inside.