Two men are behind bars today for allegedly shooting three men, one fatally, in Palm Springs early Sunday morning.
Police said Monday that both men were arrested Sunday evening. One of them, who is 20, was booked on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. The other, who is 21, was booked on suspicion of attempted murder. Both suspects are being held without bail in the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio.
According to police, at about 2:15 a.m. on Sunday officers responded to the parking lot between a fast food restaurant and a Walmart in the 5600 block of E. Ramon Road regarding a shooting. Upon arrival, they found three injured victims, who were all taken to a hospital. One succumbed to his injuries. The identity of the victim is being held pending notification of relatives.
Police said the three victims were in a verbal argument with the two suspects and that things escalated to a physical altercation. It’s alleged that the 20 year old first shot at the three victims, and the older man then fired shots as they fled the scene in separate vehicles.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department conducted a traffic stop by Fred Waring Drive and Jefferson Street in Palm Desert where they arrested one man, police said. PSPD Detectives negotiated the other man’s surrender in Mecca.
The incident is believed to be the fifth homicide in the city this year. The first, which occurred on Jan. 11, was also reported in the 5600 block of Ramon Road, outside the same fast food restaurant in the shopping center that is at the center of this investigation. No suspects have been arrested in that case, which claimed the life of 32-year-old Christopher Mills.
Last year there are believed to have been seven homicides inside the city limits.
Anyone with information about Sunday’s incident is encouraged to call the PSPD Detective Bureau at 760-778-8411. Anonymous information can also be provided to Valley Crime Stoppers and 760-341-7867.
