Two men killed in shooting in Watsonville

Two 21-year-old Santa Cruz County men died of gunshot wounds early Friday morning in the 700 block of Carlton Road, just outside Watsonville.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office said the men's names were being withheld until family members could be notified.

In a news release, the department said officers responded to a report of a shooting just before 1 a.m. Friday and found two men with gunshot wounds.

“Despite life-saving efforts, both victims were pronounced dead at the scene,” the sheriff’s office said.

“We received several 911 calls, the first one coming at 12:43 a.m.,” said Ashley Keehn, sheriff’s office spokeswoman. “The emergency services were dispatched at 12:44 a.m. and arrived at the scene at 12:51 a.m..”

As of 1pm on Friday, Carlton Road remained closed. The incident occurred in an area surrounded by farms with few houses.

Farmland surrounds the scene of a double fatal shooting on Carlton Road outside Watsonville that the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office was investigating Friday. Credit: Tania Ortiz / Santa Cruz Viewpoint

Keehn said police were conducting interviews Friday to determine a possible motive for the shooting and that a forensic pathologist would conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. She said several people were at the scene when police arrived.

A food truck operator in the area said Friday afternoon that it was a peaceful area and he had never seen anything like it there before. He said farm workers in the area also seemed unaware of what happened and had been asking him throughout the day if he had any information.

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