A 37-year-old Santa Monica man is facing attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon charges after allegedly firing a gun at his neighbor early Saturday morning on Stanford Street. No one was hurt when neighbors say the bullet flew into an outside wall of the apartment complex courtyard.
“The bullet flew past the front door where my husband and I live and went into the exterior wall (didn’t penetrate into the apartment),” wrote neighbor Diane Dray, who is a news writer at KNX. “I’ve lived here since 1994 and never seen anything like this. I mean, I report on crime stories all the time but never ever did I think that could happen here.”
Lt. Saul Rodriguez says the suspect, Michael Ferguson, has a history of mental illness and was violating the law by possessing a firearm in the first place.
Witnesses called 9-1-1 to report a disturbance and possible shooting just after midnight early Saturday morning near the corner of Stanford Street and Broadway. Police say Ferguson barricaded himself inside his own apartment with his family members before he eventually surrendered and was taken into custody.
“Several witnesses said he had been acting odd over the last several weeks,” Rodriguez said. Police are unsure of the motive behind the shooting.
kate@www.smdp.com
