Man Killed in West Haley Street Stabbing

A man was stabbed to death Thursday morning in downtown Santa Barbara, allegedly by a male suspect who lived in the same sober living home and is still on the loose.

While details are still scarce, Santa Barbara Police Sgt. Lorenzo Duarte said a 911 call reporting a stabbing at 231 W. Haley St. was placed at 8:56 a.m. Medics arrived and attempted to revive the victim, but he died before going to the hospital.

The stabbing took place in a unit set behind another unit at the address. Haley Street, between De la Vina and Bath streets, was closed most of the morning as detectives and officers investigated. The home is run by the Lighthouse Foundation, which seeks to provide a “warm, healthy, sober living environment for men recovering from the disease of alcoholism and drug addiction.”

The suspect, who also apparently lived at the home, was last seen in an alley behind the residence. He is described as a white male adult with short blond hair. The 5’10”, 200-pound suspect was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and jeans.

Shawn Banks, who lives in the front unit, was sitting in a car on Haley Street just before 9 a.m., having just gotten home from working the night shift. Suddenly, residents came running out of the house yelling. Banks, who has CPR training, tried to help the victim, who was lying in front of the rear unit of the property. He was still breathing, said Banks, but “there was nothing I could do.” The victim had been stabbed in the neck.

Banks, who has lived at the home for a month, said both the suspect and the victim were pretty new to the house, and the suspect had only been there a couple of days. He didn’t know the man’s name.

UPDATE:

Police have identified the suspect as Steve Cisneros, age 34, with blond hair and blue eyes. He’s 5’9″ and 220 pounds. He was last known to live in the Oxnard area. Those with information on his whereabouts should call detectives at 897-2335.

Meanwhile, the police are now saying that the victim was a 45-year-old white male. His identity is not being released until his family is notified. It is also unknown whether the victim was a resident of the home or whether he was just there temporarily.