HEMET: Golfer shot in leg, believed to be “errant round” fired from nearby Juniper Springs

HEMET – A golfer was hit by what officers believe was a stray round while playing the links at the Hemet Golf Club Wednesday March 29. The golf course is located at 7575 World Cup Avenue, near California Street on Hemet’s west end.

“The victim was transported to a local hospital and is expected to make a full recovery,” Hemet Police Lieutenant Eric Dickson wrote in a press release after the shooting.

Officers responded to the golf course just after 6 p.m., after the Hemet Police Dispatch Center received a 911 call from a person at the golf course reporting that a man had been shot at the location. The victim was reportedly struck while playing near the 17th hole.

The caller told emergency dispatchers that they “heard a noise and saw the victim fall down,” Dickson explained.

Hemet Police and Fire personnel responded to the golf course, where they found a 47-year-old male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the leg.

A large, commercial-grade lawnmower that was operating near where the man was shot, caused some initial confusion whether the victim had actually been shot or could have been struck by a flying object launched by the spinning blades of the lawn mower.

Despite the initial confusion, officers and medical personnel at the scene confirmed the victim was suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.

Witnesses told investigating officers that just before the victim fell down, they heard “what sounded like gun shots” coming from the hills in the unincorporated area of Juniper Springs, northwest of the golf course.

The victim, who was not identified, confirmed to officers that he heard what sounded like gunfire coming from the hills “for several hours” before he was struck.

Several witnesses reported hearing “several hundred rounds” fired from the area in the hours before the incident.

While firefighter/paramedics treated the victim, officers established a perimeter around the area and began searching the hills from where the shots were believed to have come from.

A Riverside County Sheriff’s helicopter responded to the area and assisted in searching the hills for anyone who was shooting or armed; however, no suspects were located.

“At this time, it is believed that the victim may have been struck by an errant round fired by a person shooting illegally in the hills west of the golf course,” Dickson said.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Hemet PD at (951) 765-2400. Callers can remain anonymous.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News and Anza Valley Outlook and also writes for Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg and breaking his back in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.