Nearly three weeks after the Aug. 8 double shooting after a beach party at the Crow’s Nest restaurant rattled the Santa Cruz community, no arrests had been made.
Two victims were shot multiple times and remained in critical condition last week. Police hadn’t disclosed a motive behind the brazen attack and were keeping tight-lipped about the details of the investigation.
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 coastal revelers are defiant in the wake of the shooting.
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 that 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.”
The witness 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 are saying little.
Santa Cruz Police Deputy Chief Jon Bush said on Aug. 20 that investigators were scouring video surveillance footage in hopes of obtaining license plate information from the alleged getaway vehicle.
A person who also allegedly witnessed the shooting on the night of Aug. 8 told Good Times on condition of anonymity that someone he was with wrote down a full or partial license plate and handed it over to Harbor Patrol. Port Director Holland Maclaurie did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the situation.
Authorities have also 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 had 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 Crow’s Nest events sends 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.
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.
