SBPD Asks for Help in Olive Street Murder Mystery
Bike Owner Considered Person of Interest in Ongoing Investigation
Four months after 21-year-old Kelly Hunt was fatally shot on Olive Street near the rear entrance of Santa Barbara High School, SBPD homicide detectives are asking the public to help identify a person potentially involved in the early evening murder that shocked residents and stumped authorities. Hunt, from Ventura, was a member of the Crazy Wino gang and was well known to Ventura law enforcement authorities. He didn’t often travel to Santa Barbara. It’s unclear if his slaying was gang related, and officials have released few details on the incident.
The bicycle in the above photograph — a Spire AL, 18-speed, aluminum mountain bike, with serial number 8NESD08AV4016 — was found next to Hunt’s body, and its owner “is considered a person of interest in this ongoing investigation,” said police spokesperson Sgt. Riley Harwood in a prepared statement. Those with information on the bike, its owner, or Hunt’s activities the day he was killed are asked to contact SBPD Detective Brian Larson at (805) 897-2345 or blarson@sbpd.com or call anonymously to (805) 897-2386. “Individuals providing credible information leading to the identification of the bicycle’s owner may be eligible for monetary compensation,” said Harwood.