Shots fired in Paso Robles drug deal gone bad, police say

Paso Robles police are seeking information about gunshots fired in a residential area Sunday night that may have been related to a drug deal gone bad.

At about 10:10 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 600 block of Nicklaus Street to investigate reports of shots fired and found four spent shell casings and several pills of Xanax, a brand name for the anti-psychotic alprazolam, in the roadway, according to a Paso Robles Police Department news release.

Witnesses reported seeing up to five men involved in a fight in the street when one person began firing a handgun. All involved then fled the area in two separate vehicles, with a witness describing one as a silver 2000 to 2004 Toyota Tacoma truck with a silver camper shell, black matte rims and tinted windows. The second vehicle was described as a white sedan.

Police believe the incident was the result of a narcotics transaction. No one is believed to have been injured in the incident, and no area hospitals admitted patients for gunshot wounds.

Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to contact the Paso Robles Police Department at 237-6464, or to leave an anonymous tip at Crime Stoppers at 549-STOP or by texting “SLOTIPS” plus a message to CRIMES (274637).

This story was originally published April 4, 2016 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Shots fired in Paso Robles drug deal gone bad, police say."