Man shot outside Santa Rosa barMan shot outside Santa Rosa bar

The gunman who shot a patron of a popular Santa Rosa bar early Thursday remained at large and unidentified, and investigators said they had little to go on, with a victim they described as uncooperative and claiming to remember little about the shooter.

The injured 37-year-old man told investigators he had just walked out of Gary’s at the Belvedere on Mendocino Avenue at about 12:15 a.m. and had turned onto Carrillo Street when he was confronted by a man and shot several times, Sgt. Josh Ludtke said.

“After he was shot, he ran back toward the Belvedere and got help from people outside,” Ludtke said.

The man - who wasn’t identified because the assailant remains at large - did not appear to be fully cooperating with police and told officers he didn’t know the shooter, Ludtke said. He gave officers few details about the encounter and no descriptions of the gunman.

The victim’s tight-lipped demeanor in speaking with detectives made police suspect he may know more than he is sharing, Ludtke said. He said people in the area heard the gunfire just after midnight.

Police did an “exhaustive” search of the area, which is just north of College Avenue, according to the sergeant. He said they have interviewed witnesses and are trying to retrace the victim’s steps that night. Detectives believe the man had been downtown throughout the evening and had attended Santa Rosa’s Wednesday Night Market.

Ludtke said the wounded man was undergoing surgery Thursday and was expected to survive.

Detectives were investigating whether the man was participating in a drug transaction when he was shot. They found no weapon or drugs at the scene, he said.

Anyone with information about the case can call the Santa Rosa police investigations team at 543-3590.

Staff Writer Bill Swindell contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com.