VENTURA : 2 Men Wounded in Separate Shootings

Two men required medical attention after being shot within an hour of each other in Ventura Friday morning in apparently random but possibly related incidents, police said.

In the first shooting, 25-year-old Jose Tinoco, a transient, told police that four men drove up and cursed at him, then shot him as he drank beer about 6 a.m. near Westpark Recreation Center.

Tinoco told police that he took cover behind a nearby table and bench and the men fled. He discovered he had been shot twice, in his right knee and lower torso, but told police he did not seek medical attention until hours later, when the pain became severe. He was treated at Ventura County Medical Center.

In the second incident, Carlos Luis Gonzales, 20, of Ventura was shot in the knee as he walked near Ventura Avenue and Simpson Street at about 7 a.m.

Gonzales did not know where the shot came from, police said. A friend drove him to the county medical center.

Ventura Police Sgt. Larry White declined to speculate on whether the shootings were related, but said, “It’s very suspicious because it’s in the same general area.”