THOUSAND OAKS : Gang Connection Probed in Shooting

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a possible gang connection in a shooting at a teen-age party that left a 23-year-old Newbury Park man seriously wounded over the weekend, authorities said Tuesday.

Detective Ernie Montagna said the victim, Daniel Tillman, is not a gang member, but associates with Thousand Oaks gangs. His assailant may have mistaken him for one, Montagna said.

The detective said he plans to interview witnesses who might be able to identify the gunman.

Tillman was in good condition at Los Robles Regional Medical Center after he was shot two times in the arm and abdomen last Friday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Witnesses to the shooting described the gunman as wearing a Raiders cap, a wig and possibly a shirt over his head. The assailant used a handgun, but authorities declined to release its caliber.

The party’s host, a Newbury Park High School student, said he had invited five or six people to the gathering. But about 200 uninvited youths showed up outside his house at 217 Henrietta Ave. about 9:30 p.m. Friday.

Tillman in a telephone interview Tuesday said he was standing in the street when the gunman fired three shots at him. He said he could not identify the gunman because the crowd blocked his view.

Witnesses said the assailant fled in a waiting car after the shooting.

It was the third time in two months that violence has erupted at a party put on by Thousand Oaks youths, Montagna said. On Feb. 17, a 17-year-old boy was stabbed during a fight at a party on the 2700 block of Wasatch Court.

On March 9, two teen-agers were stabbed and a 15-year-old girl was hit by a car during a party in the 1600 block of Calle de Oro. Witnesses said gang members had been at the party that evening.