Julio Sanchez Lopez, 24, a male of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, died after being shot on June 3, 2025, in Santa Maria, California. Officers responded just after 2:30 p.m. to a report of a stabbing in the 200 block of North Western Avenue and found two wounded men—one with stab wounds and Julio Sanchez Lopez with a gunshot wound to his torso. He was transported to Marian Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead later that day. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner subsequently identified the decedent as Julio Sanchez Lopez, 24, of Santa Maria.
Investigators arrested a third man at the scene, identified as Josue Anguiano, 31, of Santa Maria. The surviving victim was named by authorities as Pedro Sanchez Rojas and was expected to recover. Police and prosecutors described the episode as a combined shooting and stabbing, with the fatal gunfire directed at Julio Sanchez Lopez and a stabbing that injured Pedro Sanchez Rojas during the same incident.
The following day, prosecutors charged Josue Anguiano with one count of murder in connection with the death of Julio Sanchez Lopez and one count of attempted murder for the stabbing of Pedro Sanchez Rojas, along with resisting a peace officer with force and multiple firearms offenses including possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. Authorities said he was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on $2 million bail and scheduled for arraignment on June 5, 2025. Local outlets reported that he was taken into custody on June 3 and formally charged on June 5.
An obituary and community fundraising page confirmed the identity and age of Julio Sanchez Lopez, 24, of Santa Maria, and reflected the family’s account of the attack and its aftermath. The fundraiser stated that Julio Sanchez Lopez was shot at home after returning from work, and that a relative at the residence suffered minor injuries from the assailant’s knife; authorities, in parallel, reported he was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. These accounts, alongside official statements, outline a violent episode that left Julio Sanchez Lopez dead and another man wounded, with a suspect under arrest and facing murder and attempted-murder charges as the case moves through the courts.
