A 22-year-old Barstow man is behind bars on $1 million bail after detectives tracked him down in Adelanto. The arrest came nearly a month after a gang-related shooting left another man with a gunshot wound to the head. Maurice Crawford now faces attempted murder and firearm charges stemming from an August shooting that put a 32-year-old victim in a regional trauma center, where he remains hospitalized nearly a month later.
The shooting happened on August 6 in the 700 block of E. Virginia Way in Barstow, according to a police statement cited by VVNG. Barstow police officers responding to the scene found a 32-year-old Barstow resident suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. The Barstow Fire Protection District and Desert Ambulance responded and began life-saving measures before the victim was flown by helicopter to a regional trauma center, where he continues to receive treatment for his injuries.
A Month-Long Search Ends in Adelanto
The case was handed to the Barstow Police Department's Detective Division, which identified Crawford as the suspect in the shooting, which police described as gang-related. Detective Bryce Carson led that identification, and the case sat open for nearly four weeks before detectives caught up with Crawford on September 4 in the 11600 block of Chamberlaine Way in Adelanto.
Barstow detectives did not make the arrest alone. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department's Special Enforcement Division, the county's specialized tactical unit that assists municipal agencies like Barstow PD with high-risk warrant executions and fugitive apprehensions, assisted in locating and arresting Crawford that day.
Booking Records Detail Multiple Felony Charges
Crawford was booked into the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department's High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto, a Type II county jail with capacity for more than 2,100 pre-trial and sentenced inmates. Per booking records, he faces attempted murder under California Penal Code Sections 664/187(a), being a felon in possession of a firearm, and driving with a suspended license, with his bail set at $1 million.
Under those attempted murder statutes, a conviction can carry a potential sentence of life in state prison with the possibility of parole if the case is prosecuted as first-degree, or a term of 5, 7, or 9 years if treated as second-degree, according to Huff Legal. The felon-in-possession charge alone carries up to three years in state prison under Penal Code Section 29800, per Eisner Gorin LLP, while the suspended-license charge is a misdemeanor carrying up to six months in county jail and fines between $300 and $1,000 under Vehicle Code Section 14601, according to the Shouse Law Group.
Next Stop: Victorville Superior Court
Crawford is listed for a court appearance at Victorville Superior Court. What sparked the underlying gang dispute, the current medical condition of the victim beyond his continued hospitalization, and whether prosecutors will add gang enhancements or pursue additional suspects remain open questions heading into that hearing.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Firearm Mortality page, California is listed at 7 deaths by firearm per 100,000 total population, with 2,853 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that men account for 86% of all victims of firearm death.
The arrest adds to a string of recent law enforcement activity in the Barstow area. About 10 days earlier, two teens were arrested for shoving an elderly man and stealing $500 in the 2800 block of Lenwood Road, and days after that, the Barstow Sheriff's Station investigated a 30-person cargo train burglary in nearby Helendale that netted an estimated $57,000 in stolen merchandise. In July, San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies also apprehended a 19-year-old Las Vegas homicide suspect and held him at a Barstow detention facility pending extradition.
Barstow police are asking anyone with information about the August shooting to come forward. Detective Bryce Carson can be reached at [email protected], the Barstow Police Department can be contacted at 760-255-5111, and tips can also be submitted anonymously through the WeTip hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27469).
