A 19-year-old victim was shot in the chest and leg at a strip mall in Oceanside Friday night during a violent carjacking, police confirmed.
The Oceanside Police Department (OPD) received reports of a shooting around 11 p.m. at 660 Douglas Drive. When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered an injured young man lying in the parking lot in front of businesses, suffering from two gunshot wounds, OPD Lt. George Darrah said.
The victim was airlifted from the scene and rushed to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. As of 11 a.m. Saturday, police said the victim has non-life threatening injuries and is expected to recover.
The OPD said the victim was with three of his friends at the time of the shooting. One friend, who was driving a VW sedan, told police their group was confronted by another group of four men at the strip mall parking lot who allegedly robbed them.
During the course of the robbery, the 19-year-old victim was shot and his friend's car was then stolen by the group of strangers, the friend told investigators.
Police recovered the stolen car just around the corner from the scene of the crime about 30 minutes later, at Jill and Festival streets, but the suspects were nowhere to be found.
On Saturday morning, police said no arrests had been made and the suspects were still outstanding. Investigators are trying to determine if the shooting and carjacking was gang-related.
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Investigators remained at the scene for several hours interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence. No details were immediately available on the weapon used in the shooting. A description of the suspects has not yet been released.
