1 dead after Oxnard homeowner opens fire on robbery suspects; two gang members arrested
Authorities are investigating an attempted home invasion robbery in Oxnard that resulted in one suspect dead and another injured after the homeowner opened fire as they entered his home.
According to Oxnard Police Department, two of the three suspects made their way into the home, located in the 1800 block of Arcadia Street, at around 7:30 p.m. on June 27 when they were met by the homeowner, identified as Steven Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, armed with a handgun, tried to tell the suspects to leave his home before they assaulted him. He opened fire, striking both.
One of the suspects, 37-year-old Oxnard resident Antonia Molina, disarmed Rodriguez after the shots were fired and fled from the house with the victim's handgun. He was rushed to a hospital by the other two suspects for the gunshot wound he sustained, where he later died. The other two fled from the scene before police arrived.
Two days later, police conducted a traffic stop near J. Street and Bard Road, where they located Marco Juarez, who had an outstanding warrant for his arrest at the time. They found him to be in possession of a 9mm semi-automatic P-80 ghost gun, which was "fired recklessly into the residence" at the time of the attempted robbery once the first gunshots rang out. None of those shots hit anyone. He is being held on $1.4 million bail.
The third suspect, Frank Morales, was located nearly a month later on July 22, when police served a search warrant on a home located in the 1100 block of South Oxnard Boulevard,. After an hours-long barricade situation, in which Morales "contacted Oxnard Police Dispatch and made several false claims in an attempt to lure police away," he was arrested and is since being held on $950,000 bail.
Morales and Juarez were both indicted on several charges for their connection in the incident.
The Ventura County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the incident to determine whether Rodriguez's shooting was a justifiable homicide, as it occurred during the attempted home invasion of his home.
As the investigation continues, detectives ask anyone with additional information to contact Detective Ken Tougas at (805) 200-5669.
