Santa Cruz Man Shot Dead In Watsonville

A man who died at a hospital Friday from injuries in a suspected gang-related drive-by shooting in Watsonville was 24-year-old Ivan Luis Avila, according to police.

Avila, a Santa Cruz resident, was the victim of the shooting reported at 11:21 a.m. Friday in the 700 block of Freedom Boulevard in the area of Callahan Park, Watsonville police said.

When police arrived, a 31-year-old man was trying to give aid to Avila, who was transported to a hospital and died shortly afterward, according to police.

A number of suspects had confronted the two men earlier, then drove by in a vehicle as the men were walking down Freedom Boulevard and shot Avila before fleeing the area, police said.

The uninjured man was unable to provide descriptions of the suspects, but the shooting appears to have been related to gang activity, according to police.

Police are requesting anyone with information about the shooting to call Watsonville police at (831) 768-3350 or the department’s anonymous tip line at (831) 728-3544.

--Bay City News

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