No injuries after Indio officers exchange gunfire with gun-wielding man
BERMUDA DUNES — A man who engaged officers in a shooting at a Bermuda Dunes apartment complex Friday evening, April 19, was later arrested and has been charged with six felonies and two misdemeanors related to the incident. Neither the suspect or any of the involved officers were struck by the gunfire, according to officials.
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Friday’s incident began when the alleged suspect, who has since been identified as 28-year-old Cameron Joseph Kearney, reportedly assaulted a victim at an Indio hotel.
Officers who responded to that assault found Kearney driving away from the scene and attempted to initiate an investigatory traffic stop. Kearney refused to yield and led officers on a high-speed pursuit, which ended at the suspect’s residence at the MiraBella Apartments in Bermuda Dunes.
When Indio police officers attempted to make contact with Kearney at the conclusion of the chase, he reportedly opened fire at them, at which time at least three officers fired back at him. Riverside County sheriff’s deputies and members of the Desert Regional SWAT team responded to the scene to assist with subduing and apprehending the gun-wielding man, who eventually surrendered to officials and was taken into custody.
No one was struck or wounded during the exchange of gunfire.
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department was called in to assume the shooting investigation and Indio PD will be investigating the initially reported assault.
The three officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave, per department policy. Their names have not been released.
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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.