HEMET: 3 hospitalized, 1 airlifted, after drive-by shooting
HEMET — A drive-by shooting in Hemet this afternoon left three people hospitalized with gunshot injuries. One of the victims was airlifted with a life-threatening gunshot wound to the chest and the other two sustained non life-threatening gunshot injuries, officials at the scene have said.
The triple shooting happened around 2:45 p.m., on the 100 block of S. Franklin St., between E. Florida and E. Kimball Avenues.
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City of Hemet Police and Fire personnel along with other emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene after receiving reports of a shooting with multiple victims shot and injured.
When officials arrived at the home where the shooting happened they found three victims who had been shot and quickly began assessing and treating the wounded, while gathering information about the alleged shooter.
One of three victims was airlifted to an area trauma center after today’s triple shooting in Hemet. Will Whelan/Hemet Valley Incidents photo
Officials requested an air ambulance for the most critically injured victim, who sustained a gunshot wound to his upper left chest. Officials at the scene reported the victim had a light and thready pulse and was in and out of consciousness.
Official radio traffic at the time indicated at least two additional victims had been shot; one in the upper thigh and the other in the abdomen.
A Mercy Air Ambulance arrived in the area and the victim with the gunshot wound to the chest was airlifted to Riverside University Health System’s Trauma Center in Moreno Valley. His condition has not yet been updated.
While firefighter-paramedics and AMR medics evaluated and treated the wounded, officers established a crime scene, cordoning off much of the block with yellow crime scene tape to keep curious onlookers away from the home where the shooting happened.
Witnesses later reported seeing a white, Nissan Sentra speed by the house just as multiple gunshots rang out. At least one witness described the alleged shooter as a Hispanic male. Other witnesses reported hearing between four and six gunshots.
Officers are still at the scene and their investigation is expected to continue for several hours.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation or who witnessed the shooting is encouraged to contact Hemet PD at (951) 765-2400. Callers can remain anonymous.
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Will Whelan/Hemet Valley Incidents video
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Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations, including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook, as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and The Mountain Echo in Shasta 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. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s 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 27 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 14 – soon to be 15 – grandchildren.