Man sentenced in fatal 2016 midtown Ventura shooting near Sizzler
A man was sentenced Friday to more than 32 years in prison for his role in a 2016 fatal shooting near a former Sizzler in midtown Ventura.
Richard Hernandez, 27, of Ventura, had pleaded guilty in May to second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Cameron Miller, a 25-year-old Oxnard resident. He also pleaded guilty to attempted murder and evading an officer, and admitted to special allegations that included gang enhancements.
On Friday, Hernandez — one of four defendants associated with the case — received a sentence of 32 years and eight months to life, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
The shooting took place on the afternoon of June 29, 2016, in the 4200 block of East Main Street, on a busy stretch between Sizzler and Lassens Natural Food & Vitamins.
Miller was killed and a 21-year-old Oxnard man was shot in the leg, authorities said. Authorities have said there was no evidence the victims had gang ties.
Hernandez and three others had been driving down East Main when they stopped to confront Miller and the other victim, prosecutors say. After a verbal argument where gang names were yelled at the victims and Hernandez flashed a handgun, the four perpetrators went back to their car and drove down the road.
They waited several blocks away for Miller and the other man to walk by before Hernandez and another man, Alexis Ivan Ramirez, fired several shots at the victims, according to the DA's account. Miller, who was struck three times, died at the scene.
A high-speed pursuit launched after the shooting, reaching speeds up to 100 mph, Ventura Police Department officials previously said. The chase ended when the suspects' car crashed into a tree and fence near Telegraph Road and Cambria Avenue.
Hernandez, who was driving, fled the crash site, leaving the three others behind, before police caught up with him in a nearby orchard. All four people in the car, including Hernandez, were taken into custody. The four were treated for injuries suffered in the crash.
All four defendants have since been convicted.
A girl who was 16 at the time had her case resolved in juvenile court in 2018, prosecutors said.
Luis Aguilar, 26, was sentenced in 2019 to 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and attempted murder, and admitting to gang enhancements.
Ramirez, 28, pleaded guilty in May to voluntary manslaughter and attempted murder and also admitted gang enhancements. He is scheduled for sentencing on the morning of Oct. 12 in room 23 of Ventura County Superior Court.
“We are pleased that Mr. Hernandez has been brought to justice and the victims of this senselessact of violence and their families now have justice,” Senior Deputy DA Kelly Keenan, who prosecuted the case, said in a statement.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Man sentenced in fatal 2016 midtown Ventura shooting near Sizzler
