Gunfire at Riverside park leaves man shot in head, teen shot in hip

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — One man is in critical condition with a gunshot wound to his head while a teenage boy was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the hip area, after gunfire erupted in the Dario Vasquez Park parking lot in the 2400 block of 14th St. late Wednesday evening, Oct. 7. The small park is located in the Eastside neighborhood of Riverside.

Officials say the shooting happened after several men approached the three victims sitting in a car before opening fire on them and their vehicle.

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Riverside Police Officers responded to the park around 11 p.m., after the City of Riverside’s Public Safety Communications Center received several calls reporting hearing gunshots in the area of the park, officials have since said of the shooting.

Responding officers found the park empty, but “did locate several bullet casings in the parking lot,” according to officials.

As officers were continuing their investigation at the park, a local hospital contacted the City’s Communications Center about 50 minutes later and reported that two shooting victims had just arrived at their emergency room.

“One adult male victim was suffering from a gunshot wound to his head. He is currently in critical condition,” officials described; adding, “The second victim was a male teenager who sustained a gunshot wound to the hip area. He was eventually released from the hospital after treatment.”

Detectives with the Robbery – Homicide Unit, along with specialists from the department’s Forensics Unit, responded and assumed the investigation.

During their preliminary investigation officials learned the three victims were in the Dario Vasquez Park parking lot when they were approached by a group of unknown subjects.

As the victims attempted to drive away from the park and the men who had approached their vehicle it was struck by gunfire, injuring two of the vehicle’s three occupants. The third victim was uninjured.

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No arrests have been made and Riverside PD’s attempted murder investigation is ongoing, according to officials who said, “There are no further details to release at this time.”

Anyone with information related to this investigation is urged to contact Detective Adrian Tillett at (951) 353-7105 or [email protected], or Detective Brett Stennett at 951) 353-7213 or [email protected]. Those wishing to remain anonymous can email [email protected] or utilize the Riverside Police Department’s mobile app “Submit a Tip” feature while referencing report number 200026563.

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


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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; 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 30 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 18 grandchildren.

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