.Arrest Imminent In Santa Cruz Harbor Shooting

It’s been almost three weeks since the Aug. 8 double shooting after a beach party at the Santa Cruz Harbor’s Crow’s Nest restaurant rattled the community. The two victims were shot multiple times and remain in critical condition, and police have not disclosed a motive behind the brazen attack. But authorities say they are closing in on a suspect and an arrest is imminent.

In the aftermath, the Santa Cruz Port District, which patrols the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor where the Crow’s Nest is located, announced it was canceling the remaining beach parties. 

But despite the shocking end to a normally joyous summer night, many residents and revelers are defiant in the wake of the shooting and say that it shouldn’t ruin the spirit of community here.

The Events

Just before 9pm on Aug. 8, law enforcement agencies responded en masse to reports of a shooting at the Santa Cruz Harbor. Police scanners reported two males shot, with one suffering up to six gunshots to the chest. 

Witnesses said after a brief altercation in the Crow’s Nest parking lot, a Black male in his early 20s opened fire on two men and fled the scene in a black Dodge Charger or Challenger. The suspect was wearing a red puffy jacket and was accompanied by a Black female of indeterminate age, they said.

Emergency dispatchers also relayed reports of an armed person near the Murray Street Bridge by  the upper harbor, but that was never corroborated.

Santa Cruz Police, Santa Cruz Sheriff’s deputies and Watsonville Police secured the scene while the two victims were medevaced to out-of-county trauma centers.

A witness, who asked not to be identified, recalled hearing what sounded like loud pops.

“I heard what I thought were fireworks,” she said. “They were too loud.”

 She said she was walking about five feet behind the victim through an alleyway and the crosswalk leading to the parking lot when the suspect pulled out a gun and fired.

Investigators said that other witnesses described an altercation between the men shortly before the shooting. Santa Cruz Police took the lead on the investigation. But nearly three weeks later, there are more questions than answers about that night, and police are saying little beyond a press release the following day.

Santa Cruz Police Deputy Chief Jon Bush said on  Aug. 27 that investigators were still scouring hours of video surveillance footage from the scene and working to get witnesses to cooperate with the investigation.

A person who said they witnessed the shooting on the night of Aug. 8 told Good Times on condition of anonymity that someone they were with wrote down a full or partial license plate and handed it over to Harbor Patrol. The witness went on to say that when Santa Cruz Police investigators contacted them for a follow-up interview, they were unaware of the license plate information. 

“We did get a possible plate. We’re still trying to confirm its the right vehicle,” Bush said.

When asked if there was a possible delay in the hand off of that information, Bush said he was unaware of that specific claim.

Port Director Holland Maclaurie, who oversees the Harbor Patrol, did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the situation.

Authorities have not released the identities of the victims, but a GoFundMe fundraising page created for the medical expenses of Santa Cruz resident Gregory Hagio identifies him as one of the shooting victims.

“Gregory along with a fellow friend was a target of a random act of violence. Six shots and eleven holes later Greg is now in the ICU battling for his life from his traumatic injuries,” read a statement posted by fundraiser organizer Shannon Stidham.

The page has raised $18,332 of its $25,000 goal as of Aug. 26, and an update on the page posted on Aug. 17 said he is still in critical condition after a third surgery.

In the wake of the unexpected violence, some local residents and attendees — including one that performed that night — think canceling the remaining events has sent the wrong message.

‘Don’t Give In To Violence’

Don Caruth had just finished playing the beach party with his band, The Joint Chiefs, when he saw the shooting in the parking lot.

“I’m still processing it, because it happened 6 feet from me. I saw the whole thing — I was loading stuff in my van, it was after the show, and then I was standing with my son and his girlfriend […] I heard this ‘pop, pop, pop, pop.’ I thought it was firecrackers or fireworks,” said Caruth.

He and his family ducked behind his van and saw the shooter as he ran away, while others rushed to help the victims. The incident left him shaken and he was unable to sleep that night. But in spite of this, Caruth thinks the show should have gone on.

“I don’t think you should give in to the violence and take the music and the joy away from the community of Santa Cruz,” he said. He added that this was an extremely rare incident and wasn’t afraid of it happening again.

The performers who were booked for the remainder of the summer were also affected, losing income they were counting on as working musicians, according to Caruth. Local favorites Sambada and The Dylan Rose band were set to round out the last two August dates of the beach parties.

A Facebook post from Aug. 14 which argued that “a few messed up people should not have so much power over our community gatherings” got hundreds of likes and supportive comments.

Trudie Ransom, the owner of the Sup Shack on the Santa Cruz Harbor, was at home in Capitola when the shooting occurred. When she returned to work the next day, she was shocked by the news.   

Ransom expressed disgust at the shooter’s behavior while also encouraging people not to let this incident change how we live as a community. 

“I’m a believer in business as usual,” she said. 

Ransom isn’t alone when it comes to this train of thought. Jose Calderon, a retired mason, also thinks the shooting shouldn’t change how the harbor community functions.  

“I don’t see a reason why it should be shut down because of a couple of crazy people,” Calderon said. “It was just one of those incidents. It’s a shame it happened, but I do not believe it should be closed down.”

The Crow’s Nest owner Charles Maier did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Other recurring live music events in the area have not been canceled in response to the shooting. For example, the Twilight Concert series at the Capitola Village Esplanade has continued to hold Wednesday night performances that draw hundreds of people.

Capitola Police Captain Sarah Ryan said that there had been no serious concerns voiced by residents after the Crow’s Nest shooting and security protocols for the concerts remained the same.

However, Ryan did sympathize with the management and staff of the restaurant.

“They have to take care of their people,” Ryan said.

As of Aug. 27, Santa Cruz Police said they are close to cracking the case.

“We’ve got some leads that we’re tracking down. We hope to make an arrest in the coming days, but right now we’re still working the case,” Bush said.

Ruby Lee Schembari contributed to this report.