[UPDATED:] Lucas Ransom, 19, Killed by Shark off Santa Barbara Coast
Categories: Breaking News
Lucas Ransom was body boarding about 150 yards offshore at Surf Beach, which is north of Santa Barbara, about 8:50 a.m. when he was pulled under water.
A friend who saw what was happening went to save Ransom, who suffered a massive leg injury.
He was pulled to the beach, where he bled to death. Personnel from the Vandenberg Air Force Base fire department pronounced him dead at the scene.
His board was recovered with a section bitten off. Authorities are trying to find missing parts of the young man's leg.
According to a Los Angeles Times report, witnesses estimated the shark was 14 to 18 feet long. Authorities are unsure what kind of shark it was. Surf, Wall and Minuteman beaches were closed for 72 hours as a precaution.
Surf Beach is reportedly popular among surfers and sharks, who have pretty much learned to coexist without incident.






























