Police Arrest Suspect in Would-Be Robbery, Shooting in North Park

Police have arrested a 37-year-old man in connection to a shooting of a woman last week in an alley in the North Park neighborhood.

Police say Kenneth Ozua tried to rob the woman after asking her for directions and then shot her in the shoulder.

San Diego police arrested Ozua and booked him in the county jail on suspicion of attempted murder, attempted robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

Investigators zeroed in on Ozua after receiving an anonymous tip naming him as the suspect. The tipster told police Ozua had fled to Mexico after the shooting, according to a news release from the San Diego Police Department.

Police detained Ozua Monday evening after they say he was caught trying to enter back into the United States at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.

The shooting happened last Thursday afternoon in the east alley of 4000 Ohio Street, as the woman was approached by a man and woman who drove up to her.

After she told him to go away, he demanded her purse, police say.

Refusing to give it up, the victim instead turned and ran. The suspect responded by pulling out a gun and shooting her through the back of her right shoulder.

The woman, found conscious and breathing, was taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital for her injuries.

Police say Ozua’s wife, 38-year-old Mariela Ozua -- who was believed to be the woman in the SUV -- is still at large.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Mariela Ozua is encouraged to contact Sergeant Don Williams of the San Diego Police Department Mid-City Division at (619) 516-3006 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

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