Roundup: Oxnard police investigate shooting in Riverpark, more news

Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:

Police respond to gunshot victim at Riverpark

Oxnard Police Department officers responded to a gunshot victim at a parking structure in the Collection shopping center in the Riverpark community Friday night.

The incident was reported around 8:50 p.m. in the 2700 block of Riverpark Boulevard, with Oxnard firefighters and ambulance personnel also responding.

The 15-year-old male victim was found in the first floor of the structure with a single gunshot wound in his lower leg. The wound was not life-threatening. The teen was taken by ambulance to a hospital and said to be in stable condition.

The shooting was reported behind the Cinemark Century Riverpark movie theater, between the theater and the parking structure, said police Sgt. John McBride.

As of 10:20 p.m. no arrests had been made but several subjects had been detained. The investigation is ongoing and the incident appeared to involve juveniles, McBride said.

No additional details about potential suspects or conditions that preceded the gunfire were provided in a news release issued late Friday night, and no further information was available Saturday morning.

The department asked anyone with information to contact Detective Steve Eckman at 805-385-7641 or at steve.eckman@oxnardpd.org. Information can also be reported online at oxnardpd.org under the “report suspicious activity” link, or submitted anonymously through Ventura County Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Friday's incident was the second this week to bring a large response to the north Oxnard shopping center. On Tuesday night, the movie theater was evacuated when a man reportedly brandished a stun gun and yelled during a showing of "Oppenheimer." No one was injured and the 62-year-old suspect was arrested.

Ventura police arrest suspected shooter

Detectives with the Ventura Police Department arrested a man Thursday they believe is responsible for three recent shooting incidents in the Montalvo area.

The department is also seeking information from the public as officers continue to investigate.

The first incident took place on June 8 at around 11 p.m. in the 2300 block of Peacock Avenue, when the suspect allegedly several times into a vehicle. No one was in the vehicle at the time.

The second took place on July 22 around 3:30 a.m. at Peacock Avenue and Whippoorwill Street. A delivery driver was reportedly confronted by the suspect as the driver was leaving the area. The suspect shot several times at the delivery driver, striking his car as he left, according to police.

On Monday at around 8 a.m., the suspect allegedly fired several rounds at an occupied vehicle parked near Peacock and Bristol Road, then fled on foot.

No one was injured during any of the shootings, said police Cmdr. Rick Murray.

The department's gang unit identified the 36-year-old man, described as a documented gang member, as the suspect and obtained an arrest warrant.

Detectives located the man around 2 p.m. Thursday in the 6300 block of Bristol Road. He reportedly resisted arrest and was found with a concealed handgun. As a convicted felon, the suspect is barred from having firearms and ammunition.

The man was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at an occupied vehicle and various firearms-related felonies. He remained in Ventura County jail custody Friday with bail set at $120,000.

Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call Detective Anthony Reginato at 805-339-4466.

Oxnard man convicted in sex crimes case

Jurors convicted an Oxnard man in a felony sex crimes case involving an underage victim.

Victor Villanueva Legaria, 33, was found guilty of two counts of lewd acts on a child younger than 14 and one count of lewd acts on a child age 14 or 15, all felonies, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office reported. The jury also found true special allegations, including that Legaria took advantage of a position of trust.

Legaria, who knew the victim, sexually abused her multiple times between 2016 and 2020, starting when the girl was 11, according to prosecutors. She reported the abuse to a family member in 2020, when the Oxnard Police Department was called in and launched an investigation.

Deputy DA Twyla Atmore, who prosecuted the case, said in a release that sexual abuse of a child, by its nature, always occurs in secret. "Thanks to the bravery of one young woman, her abuser was brought out of the dark to face justice," Atmore said.

Legaria's sentencing hearing is scheduled for the morning of Aug. 21 in room 45 of Ventura County Superior Court.

Shoplifting sting brings 3 felony arrests

A rash of unreported thefts at a north Oxnard shopping center prompted police to conduct a shoplifting sting Thursday.

Three felony arrests were made during the operation, the Oxnard Police Department said in a news release Friday.

Thursday's operation was carried out at the Marketplace at Oxnard in the 1800 block of Ventura Boulevard. The center along the north side of Highway 101 is near the Oxnard Auto Mall.

Police officers worked with the department's organized retail crime investigators during peak hours to contact people believed to be actively stealing from businesses.

The department had recently learned businesses at the center have had a large number of unreported thefts. One totaled losses during 2022 at $700,000, according to police.

During Thursday's sting, two women, age 22 and 47, and a man, 36, were arrested on suspicion of felony theft offenses. All three are Oxnard residents. Police recovered more than $3,000 worth of merchandise.

Residents and businesses with information about thefts or other crime are asked to call the police department at 805-385-7600.

Items may be updated.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Oxnard police investigate shooting at Riverpark, more news