Suspect Wanted in Downtown Santa Barbara Shooting

Update by the Santa Barbara Police Department
​November 9, 2021

On November 4, 2021, Santa Barbara police officers and detectives investigated a shooting that occurred downtown near the 1st block of East Cota Street.

Detectives have identified the shooter as Kevin Rios, a 22-year-old Santa Barbara resident. Rios is believed to be in possession of a handgun and should be considered armed and dangerous. He is currently outstanding at the time of this release.

Rios was last seen during the night of the shooting in the downtown area. He is described as a Hispanic male adult, approximately 5’ 9’, 180 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes.

Kevin Rios is wanted for attempted murder. If you observe Rios, contact 9-1-1 immediately. If you have non-urgent information pertaining to his whereabouts, contact the Santa Barbara Police Department Detective Bureau at 805-897-2345. 


Kevin Rios (Photo: SBPD)


One Injury in Downtown Santa Barbara Shooting

Source: Santa Barbara Police Department
November 4, 2021

On November 4, 2021, around 2:00am, Santa Barbara Police Officers responded to the 1st block of East Cota Street for a report of a shooting that had just occurred. Officers responded with lights and sirens to the area and located a gunshot victim in an alleyway adjacent to City Lot 10, downtown. Officers discovered a 32-year-old male victim in the alleyway that had a single gunshot wound to his neck. Officers rendered emergency medical aid until paramedics arrived on scene.
 
During the investigation, it was determined the victim had been involved in a verbal altercation with a group of subjects at a local bar prior to the shooting. Officers located blood and evidence that a firearm had been discharged at the scene. It appears this is an isolated incident.
 
The victim was transported by ambulance to Cottage Hospital Emergency Room for treatment.
 
Detectives responded to investigate this shooting and are actively working on this case. The suspect is currently outstanding.
 
This is an active investigation and there is no other information available for release at this time. 

SBPDPIO

Written by SBPDPIO

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43 Comments

  1. I am not afraid to go downtown at night…of course, I don’t hang out on lower State at bars at 2 a.m.
    Relax…don’t get into fights at 2 a.m. when drunk and all will be well. Holy moly, folks, Obama and Biden probably don’t hang out in bars at 2 a.m. either and know better than to argue with a drunk. What the hell does Obama and Biden have to do with this. Please…use your brain and not your political acid reflux reflex!

  2. wow, comments without any clue of the facts. Apparently argument carried over from Dargan’s to the parking garage. The person shot was not the intended target. He was very lucky, otherwise he’d be another casualty of SB

  3. Wow, maybe metal detectors should be installed at the doors, if you go to a bar with gun or knife obviously you’ll looking for trouble.
    Going out to have a drink or mingle shouldn’t be deadly, we need to keep it safe for all. That’s so crazy

  4. Wait until the Supreme Court holds that the 2d Amendment gives everyone the right to walk about armed. This is literally just a few weeks away. No local government, no state will be able to deny such ability to just about anyone (though they may be able to restrict some highly public areas like the Supreme Court courtroom from weapons!). Forget Dodge City orders that weapons be checked in at the city limits. This will be an almost permanent stain on our Founding Fathers who clearly accepted limits on where and when weapons could be held and it will be another expansion of the US blood bath that has developed over the recent decades of NRA inspired violence and vigilantism.

  5. RHS, it was illegal for the perpetrator of this shooting to carry the weapon that was used. We may find the weapon was not even legally owned. In addition, it’s generally illegal to shoot people. None of these legal restrictions prevented this shooting from taking place. You may be surprised to know that in all but 5 states it is legal to carry a gun(openly in’s some and concealed in some) without a requirement for a permit. Despite the second amendment recognizing the right of the people to bear arms, california outlawed open carry a few years ago. For those who live in Santa Barbara county there is no legal way to exercise the right. The Supreme Court appears likely to correct this situation.

  6. Its the drug dealers and idlers in the dark corners of the downtown parking lots at 8:00pm, that are chilling enough. The parking structures need more drive-around patrolling if you are going to revive downtown up and down State Street at night. Not just the drunk zones. .

  7. Chip, I am aware that it is easy legal to carry weapons openly in some states. I am aware that it is a fact that people carry weapons illegally in most other states. I am aware that apologists for the gun lobby attempt to say that those who use weapons for crime are bad people and that those who don’t are the right people. But I am aware that there is no way to separate these folks from one another until after the fact. I am aware that once it is legal to carry weapons in public there will be deadly confrontations. I am aware that the US has the highest incidence of gun deaths of any industrialized nation. I am aware that the 2d Amendment was understood for two centuries to refer to the need for militias, never for the need of self defense but this understanding and the specific language of the 2d Amendment has been ignored for some sort of macho cause. We will suffer as a nation for this hypocrisy.

  8. The possession of arms as written in the Constitution was always an implicit threat. And that is how this country was formed, by the resistance of tyranny with weapons. Every good thing in your life came from that. And if you think the founding fathers thought it would never need to happen again no matter how corrupt and evil this country’s government became, then you and I just differ on that interpretation. See how you are entitled to your opinion? Now tell me how mine’s no good..

  9. BR – you’re opinions are fine, they’re yours to have. What I dispute though, is you proclamation of “facts” that are quickly and easily proven wrong. Facts and opinions are different. While I think your opinions and apparent lifestyle is dangerous and paranoid, it’s yours to have. Calling people sheep as you march in lock step with Newsmax and Qanon is quite amusing though.

  10. 12:36, Everyone has a right to get a license to operate a car on public roads. You might say driver’s licenses are given on a “shall issue” basis. In addition, license, registration and insurance are only required to operate a vehicle on public roads. License, registration, and insurance are not required to buy a vehicle, to own a vehicle, or to operate a vehicle on private property. Perhaps the rules for firearms will soon be similar to those for motor vehicles.

  11. Militias are scary. They have a nasty tendency to military take- over/ coups. The 2nd Amendment in the Bill it Rights promises US military is necessary but qualifies that in so long as it’s well regulated. However, the people’s right to bear arms themselves is guaranteed, just in case. The Colonies had just defeated an oppressive military. The 3rd goes on to guarantee no household would be taken over by military members and force to house them.

  12. I swear if the 5-4 Roberts Not So Supreme Court legalizes open and concealed carry in all 50 states, that will be the beginning of the end for us. I’m tired of wondering when it will my family’s turn to be subjected to random gun violence due to 200 yrs of stupid gun laws.

  13. As an expert in firearms, knives & explosives..
    I feel safer with the guns in the hands of criminals, as opposed to our citizenry..
    Could one imagine if we all had guns?!!..
    There would be carnage in the streets, at home..kids would take them to school, abusive husbands would go extinct, cops would be MORE on-edge, accidental discharges would happen at the grocery store, neighbor disputes would go to a duel, barking dogs?…
    The “Right to near arms” was written to ensure that a Gov could not “enslave” it’s people to unfair doctrines, & could form a militia to protect home & hearth..back when we all had muskets.
    The same does not apply today.
    The 2nd amendment, self-amended.

  14. Pit, many people read the first clause of the amendment to effectively nullify the second clause. I guess the idea is to argue the amendment may have had some purpose long ago, but is now meaningless. This interpretation is incorrect. Here is a thorough explanation of what the amendment means and how it has historically been interpreted. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/07pdf/07-290.pdf

  15. The 2nd Amendment right to carry is not the problem. The inability of the justice system to enforce laws is the problem. If acts of violence have no consequences, you have chaos. As we are seeing today. Not because everyone has a right to armed self-defense. One must live with the threat of punishment for wrongful acts, as much as one must live knowing the other person just might be armed. Not unlike our current nuclear weapon stand off – mutually assured destruction.

  16. Well-regulated militia meant something up until the 1970s when the NRA started their political activity on behalf of the Republicon party. And stacked the court with Scalias and Thomases.
    How long do dynasties last, anyway? Maybe we had a good run…..

  17. Every single firearm incident mentioned on Edhat recently has been with a criminal who was breaking the law by simply possessing the firearm (concealed or not), in addition to the numerous laws broken while using the firearm. Where and who are all the law abiding gun owners you’re so afraid of? Is it already the “end” in States that currently allow concealed carry with firearm deaths clogging up morgues? No, it is not. Your fear in law abiding gun owners is misplaced and irrational, it’s the criminals, who have no issue with violating numerous laws nor a care in the world about firearm safety, that you should be afraid of.

  18. 10:05 – “Where and who are all the law abiding gun owners you’re so afraid of? ” – The ones who don’t lock them up properly, allowing criminals to steal them to for use in crimes or children to use. The ones who accidentally shoot themselves or family members. The ones who legally purchase/obtain guns despite having mental issues and then using those guns to kill themselves or others. The ones who INTENTIONALLY go on murder sprees after easily purchasing guns.
    Yeah, they may have violated the law in the end use, but they still were law abiding enough to be able to obtain guns in the first place. THAT is the concern here. Using firearms safely is one thing, but the problem lies in how easily they are obtained in the first place. People change, people have unexpected emotional situations, kids make bad choices, criminals break in and rob homes. The problem is how many guns we have out there that were legally obtained by “law abiding gun owners” and then subsequently used in a crime or accident.

  19. Blue cities and states are drowning in crime, and yet some want to take the rights away from law-abiding citizens for no reason at all. Well, the “reason” is to gain power and control, and to make more and more people rely on government….which, in turn, creates more crime-ridden Blue cities and states. How’s it going Seattle? How’s it going Portland? How’s it going San Francisco? How’s things Los Angeles? Hey Chicago…doing well with the crime thing and The Lightfoot? Baltimore? New York? Good thing SB has just elected a sensible non-Blue mayor for goodness sakes.

  20. BABY – it’s funny that people like you and VOICE and others constantly harp on others here for regurgitating “the media” when you all are doing the exact same thing, just different media. It’s a pretty well established fact that the whole “blue states are more violent” trope is a simplistic and inaccurate statement. Try doing a little digging beyond what Fox and Newsmax tell you.

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