HEMET: Officials investigating after home struck by gunfire
HEMET – Officials are investigating a shooting after a residence was struck by gunfire Wednesday, May 10. The early-morning shooting happened on the 100 block of N. Inez Street, south of Latham Avenue and north of Florida Avenue, in Hemet.
A Hemet police officer was the first to report hearing shots fired shortly before 4 a.m. John Strangis photo
A City of Hemet police officer, who happened to be on patrol one street to the west on Alessandro Street, was the first to report hearing shots fired in the neighborhood.
The officer reported hearing multiple gunshots one street away from him, at 3:52 a.m.
The officer immediately began to search for the origin of the fired rounds, while other officers broke free from lower priority calls and responded to the area to assist.
Within minutes, City of Hemet emergency dispatchers began to be flooded with calls from citizens reporting hearing numerous shots fired in the same neighborhood. Some callers reported hearing as few as six rounds fired, others reported hearing as many as fifteen.
Just minutes later, dispatchers received a 911 call from a resident on Inez Street, who called to report that her home had been struck by gunfire and she had located bullet holes in her residence.
The officer who had first reported hearing the shots fired was at the home less than one minute later and he quickly confirmed finding bullet holes in the home as well as shell casings in the street in front of the residence. The casings were described as being from two different types of weapons, a .22 caliber and a 9 mm.
Officials gathered and collected evidence and documented the shooting scene. John Strangis photo
Officers, who had already been heading to the home before the first 911 calls were received, began flooding into the neighborhood moments later.
Officers immediately established a crime scene and cordoned off Inez Street and the surrounding neighborhood.
Within minutes, the street and surrounding neighborhood was locked down, with officers seen in every direction.
During the early stages of the investigation, officers could be seen canvassing the area, both in vehicles and on foot. Some were seen carrying handguns and shotguns. Others were seen carrying long-rifles.
As the shooting investigation continued, officials were seen gathering and collecting evidence and documenting the shooting scene. Numerous shell casings were recovered and other evidence related to the shooting was documented and collected.
No suspects were located or identified at the time.
There were no known injuries related to the incident and officials have not specified a known reason for the shooting.
The investigation is active and ongoing.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Hemet PD officials at (951) 765-2400. Callers can remain anonymous.
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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.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 26 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 12 – soon to be 13 – grandchildren.