UPDATE: San Luis Obispo Police have released the name of the suspect in Thursday's shootings in Grover Beach and San Luis Obispo.
Police say 41-year-old Joshua Arnold was arrested on the 1900 block of Froom Ranch Way.
He was transported to the SLO County Jail and booked on two charges of attempted homicide, as well as charges of attempted carjacking, felon in possession of a handgun, and felon in possession of ammunition.
Police say when Arnold was arrested, he was not carrying a weapon. The gun was later recovered at a nearby motel home that Arnold reportedly entered before being captured by police.
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UPDATE: The shelter in place at San Luis Ranch is now lifted.
San Luis Obispo Police are clearing the scene.
A suspect in the shootings in San Luis Obispo and Grover Beach is in custody.
No other suspects were in a residence on San Luis Ranch Rd.
Police also confirmed the suspect's vehicle and a firearm were recovered.
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A man believed to be the suspect in two shootings in San Luis Obispo County on Thursday has been arrested in San Luis Obispo.
Officers surrounded a home at the corner of San Luis Ranch Rd. and Legacy Ln. Thursday afternoon and took the man into custody. Officers believe there may be other people inside the home and a heavy law enforcement presence remains on scene as of 6 p.m.
Police are asking people to avoid the area and anyone living within two blocks of the intersection has been told to shelter in place.
The first shooting occurred at the 7-Eleven store at 390 W. Grand Ave. in Grover Beach at around 1 p.m., according to Grover Beach Police Department Cmdr. Jim Munro.
Cmdr. Munro and a witness on scene said an employee of the store was injured in the shooting.
The employee was transported to a hospital, Cmdr. Munro said. He said the suspect had a semiautomatic pistol and fled the scene in a black Ford Mustang.
SHOOTING UPDATE
— Grover Beach Police (@Grover_BeachPD) August 17, 2023
This is the suspect in the #Shooting at 4th St & Grand Ave 7-11 Store. He fled the area in a black Ford Mustang CA license # 6EZE426 He is armed with a handgun. Last seen in Nipomo. If you see him call 911 If you can identify him call GBPD at (805) 473-4511 pic.twitter.com/ZRhJMUQNMo
That same vehicle was later seen parked outside the home on San Luis Ranch Rd. where the suspect was taken into custody.
The arrest followed a second shooting in San Luis Obispo just a short time earlier. Police have not provided any details about that shooting; however, officers had the nearby Costco shopping center completely blocked off to traffic Thursday afternoon.
Police do not yet know the motive or the full context behind the altercations.
Witness provides first aid
A woman who was doing laundry next door to the Grover Beach 7-Eleven at the Cole Linen & Laundry said she heard multiple shots and provided first aid to the store employee, described as having been shot through the neck.
"All of a sudden it happened so quickly," Nancy Cameron, the witness, said. "… I just heard the ‘pop pops’ — it was that fast.”
Cameron, who is a Grover Beach resident, said she has had both EMT and first-aid training and at one point had planned to become a registered nurse.
“I never panic," Cameron said. "I’ve helped people out on the road in car accidents — I’ve seen everything. … It’s not something I panic about, stuff like that."
Cameron said the store employee did not lose consciousness and was talking on the phone with 911.
The employee's current condition is not known.
It is unknown at this time whether anyone was injured in the second shooting.
