Photo: Arturo Jacobo and Ethan Kelly
May 19, 2021 – Ventura County, Ca.
When Ventura County Sheriff’s Department deputies were alerted to a shooting in progress in the small community of Meiner’s Oaks on April 16th , they rolled up to the reported scene and found the area devoid of any potential suspects.
According to VCSD spokesman Sgt. Matthew Young, however, they did find “several items of evidence indicating a firearm had been discharged” at the scene. Other than that physical evidence, a search of the area failed to establish than anyone had been “struck by gunfire” or otherwise a victim of deadly violence.
But when investigators discovered video surveillance records and took a look at it, they quickly “identified both the victim and the suspect involved in the shooting” as Meiners Oaks resident Arturo Jacobo and a local area transient, Ethan Kelly. The video footage further indicated that the Jacobo had brandished a firearm and “pointed it” at Kelly without firing it. At that point, an
investigation began into the circumstances and location of the two subjects recorded on the surveillance video.
Just six days later, on April 22 nd , deputies spotted Jacobo riding in a vehicle in the City of Ojai. A traffic stop ensued, whereupon they detained Jacobo and found him to be in possession of an unregistered “ghost gun” bearing no serial numbers. A search warrant for Jacobo’s nearby residence was quickly obtained, and the cops found “additional ammunition” in his bedroom.
He was arrested at that time and transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on a charge of carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm.
Three weeks later, on May 15th , a vehicle Kelly was riding in as a passenger was stopped pursuant to a minor traffic violation. The deputies conducting the stop recognized Kelly and searched the vehicle in which he was riding, only to discover “a handgun which was the same caliber firearm used in the April 16th shooting, and which had had its serial numbers removed.
Kelly was taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked for assault with a semi-automatic firearm and shooting at an inhabited dwelling, with his bail set at $140,000.
Photos: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
