Shot last Friday, Hemet man, 28, succumbs to injuries, ID’d

UPDATED: Tuesday, Jan. 1, 11 a.m., With GoFundMe information and other details.

UPDATED: Monday, Dec. 31, 11 a.m. With additional information from Hemet PD

See original story and photos below.

HEMET — Officials have confirmed that a Hemet man who was shot in the chest and arm last Friday night, Dec. 28 has succumbed to his injuries and passed away. The deadly shooting happened in the 100 block of Tahquitz Ave., just north of Florida Ave., according to Hemet PD officials who confirmed the victim’s passing to RCNS this morning.

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Asked for additional details about last weekend’s deadly shooting, Hemet Police Lt. Jeff Davis told RCNS this morning that the victim, 28-year-old, Juan Romero was first rushed to Hemet Valley Hospital with multiple gunshot injuries. He was later transferred to the trauma center at Moreno Valley’s Riverside University Health System where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by hospital staff.

According to a family member of the deceased who asked to remain anonymous, Romero’s mother was notified of her son’s passing when Hemet police officers showed up on her doorstep with news of her son’s death early Saturday morning.

In the wake of Friday’s fatal shooting, Romero’s family has created a GoFundMe account to help raise funds for burial and other expenses.

“It weighs Heavy On our Hearts to except the fact that my Mother’s one and only Son as well as Our Family’s Favorite is no longer with us,” family members wrote on the fundraiser’s page.

“He has now become Our Angel (due) to life’s unexpected tragedy’s,” the fundraiser explained. “In these hard and painful moments we will forever keep his memory alive.”

According to Davis, Hemet PD’s investigation is ongoing and he has asked that anyone with information regarding the fatal shooting to contact Hemet Police Investigator Matt Gomez at (951) 765-2422, or to call the Hemet Police Anonymous Tip Line, or provide information through CrimeStoppers.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

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Original story: Officials investigating Hemet shooting, one hospitalized

HEMET — Details are beginning to emerge after a male was reportedly hospitalized with multiple gunshot injuries in Hemet late Friday night, Dec. 28. Several, unconfirmed sources say last night’s shooting either happened on the 100 blocks of N. Tahquitz Ave. or Las Lunas St., just north of W. Florida Ave.

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City of Hemet Police and Fire Departments, along with other emergency personnel, were dispatched to the area around 10 p.m., after receiving multiple reports of shots fired, followed by reports of several people seen running from the area.

Although officials began arriving at the scene within moments, they learned an unknown age male with multiple gunshot wounds had already been rushed in a flat-bed pick up truck to Hemet Valley Hospital for treatment.

Early and unconfirmed reports indicated the victim possibly sustained two gunshot injuries; including in the bicep and chest areas. One official described the wounds as possibly being caused by a “small caliber weapon.”

According to witnesses and area residents, officers quickly identified a large possible crime scene and cordoned off Tahquitz Ave. and Las Lunas St., between W. Florida and W. Latham avenues. Officials were later seen combing the area for evidence of the shooting.

Early reports and witness statements from the scene indicated the victim had possibly been walking when someone began shooting at him. No information about what might have led to the shooting has been released.

Hemet resident Natalie Marie Pfefer later described on social media that the injured shooting victim had jumped over her back fence into her yard in the area of Gilbert St. and Florida Ave., in an attempt to flee from his assailants. She also said the victim was then picked up by someone in a pickup truck and rushed to an area hospital.

Neither the victim’s current condition nor the full nature and extent of his injuries were known at the time of this report.

As Hemet PD’s investigation was getting underway, officers diverted all traffic away from Tahquitz Ave. and Las Lunas St., while officials investigated the shooting. The roads remained closed for several hours while Hemet PD conducted their initial on-scene investigation.

Hemet PD’s investigation is ongoing and a request sent to the department for details and information about the incident had not been responded to as of this report.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Hemet PD at (951) 765-2400. Callers can remain anonymous.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of 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 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 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.