MORENO VALLEY: Man shot multiple times at shopping center in critical condition, juvenile arrested

MORENO VALLEY — Sheriff’s officials arrested a juvenile they allege shot a man multiple times, leaving the victim in critical condition. The shooting happened Wednesday, Oct. 22, in front of a Subway restaurant at the Lakeshore Village Shopping Center on the 23000 block of Sunnymead Ranch Parkway in Moreno Valley.

The shopping center is home to several other restaurants, including a Del Taco and Jack In The Box, as well as the Fountain of Life church, a Shell gas station, S&R Smoke Shop and other businesses and restaurants.

Deputies arrested the minor the day after the shooting after serving a search warrant and recovering a handgun believed to have been used in the shooting, according to sheriff’s officials.

The investigation began just after 1 p.m., when deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Moreno Valley Police Station were dispatched to the shopping center’s parking lot regarding reports of a shooting at the location, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Brian De Marco explained in a Nov. 1 press release after the investigation and arrest.

When deputies arrived, they located evidence consistent with a shooting; however, they were not immediately able to locate a victim.

“Moments later, a local area hospital received an adult male patient in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds,” De Marco explained.

Based on the circumstances, investigators, gang officers and Special Enforcement Team members from the Moreno Valley Police Station assumed the investigation. During their investigation officials located and recovered evidence of the shooting and interviewed potential witnesses.

One Moreno Valley resident who said she witnessed the shooting later explained what she had seen. The woman, identified only as Jasmine, explained, “I just heard four gunshots and I see (the victim) drop to the floor.”

Jasmine said that after the victim was shot, “one of his friends helped him into a car and they took off.”

At 1:45 a.m. the next morning, less than thirteen hours after the shooting happened,  investigators and gang officers served a search warrant at the 11800 block of Barclay Street in Moreno Valley.

During the service of the search warrant officials located and seized evidence they say linked a 17-year-old male they allege was responsible for the shooting and they arrested the minor.

Because of his age, officials did not release the name of the alleged suspect.

Officials later located and recovered a handgun they say was used in the attempted murder. The handgun was found at a separate residence in Moreno Valley.

The Juvenile was eventually booked at Riverside Juvenile Hall on suspicion of attempted murder, according to De Marco, who explained, “This incident was not of a random nature, nor is there any continued public threat as a result.”

The victim of the attempted murder is expected to survive.

Anyone with information about this investigation or who witnessed the shooting is encouraged to contact Sgt. De Marco at the Moreno Valley Police Department’s Investigation’s Bureau at (951) 486-6700. Callers can refer to incident file number MV172950200 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s Homicide Tipline online form.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as 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, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries 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.