Shark Attack Kills Southern California Surfer
SANTA MARIA, Santa Barbara County (CBS Los Angeles) - A man was killed Tuesday during an apparent shark attack off the coast near Vandenberg Air Force Base, sheriff's deputies said.
A 911 call came into the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's dispatch center at 10:58 a.m. stating a man had been bitten by a shark while surfing near Surf Beach in Lompoc.
A friend who was also surfing and witnessed the shark attack swam over to assist the 38-year-old victim, pulling him out of the ocean and onto the beach. The victim's friend started first aid procedures while another surfer called 911.
The Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department arrived and took over emergency procedures. The male victim, whose name is being withheld until his relatives can be notified, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
He was reportedly unaffiliated with the Air Force base, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The type of shark involved and other details were still under investigation.
Lucas McKaine Ransom, a 19-year-old former Perris High School and University of California, Santa Barbara student, was killed in 2010 near the same location in a suspected Great White shark attack.
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