On December 9, 2023, at about 2:26 PM, Santa Maria police responded to a shooting near Western Avenue and Agnes Avenue and found 15-year-old Jesus Cabrera Valverde with gunshot wounds. Valverde, a Santa Maria resident and Pioneer Valley High School student, was taken to a local hospital and later died of his injuries.

In the days after the shooting, the Santa Maria Police Department’s Detective Bureau investigated. On December 20, 2023, detectives and SWAT teams from Santa Maria and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office served multiple search warrants at residences in Santa Maria and arrested a 17-year-old male. He was booked into Santa Maria Juvenile Hall on charges of murder with gang enhancements, a development police said highlights gang-related violence in the community.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Juan Rubio at (805) 928-3781 ext. 1682 or the Communications Center at ext. 2277, or leave an anonymous tip on the SMPD Tip Line at ext. 2677 (COPS). Does anyone in the area have information that could help clarify what happened that afternoon?