Shooting at popular Murrieta sports park leads to swift arrest of one adult, two juveniles
MURRIETA, Calif., — Authorities say a pre-arranged meeting at a Murrieta park led to the robbery and shooting of a man early Tuesday morning, Sept. 14.
Although officials have declined to specify why the early morning meeting at the Alta Murrieta Sports Park was arranged, the subsequent shooting investigation led to the swift arrest of three people, including one adult and two minors, according to Murrieta PD officials. The weapon used in the shooting was also recovered during a subsequent search warrant served at a home within short walking distance of the park.
LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:
New witness accounts, CHP report released, after local man dies in Aguanga motorcycle crash
Neighbor thwarts attempted kidnapping of 5-year-old San Jacinto child – Local man arrested
UPDATE: Murder victim found deceased in car parked near Perris Walmart ID’d
City of Murrieta police officers were dispatched to the park, located at 39755 Alta Murrieta Drive, around 1 a.m. after receiving multiple reports of shots fired at the location, Gomez has since reported.
Callers also reported seeing a vehicle leaving the park shortly after the shooting. Although officers quickly located that vehicle on Los Alamos Road they determined the occupants were not directly involved in the shooting, but had witnessed the incident.
Officials say an 18-year-old Murrieta man and two juveniles were arrested just twelve hours after an early morning shooting at the Alta Murrieta Sports Park on Tuesday. Stephanie Ann/Facebook photo
When officers arrived at the park they found a man who had been shot, according to the Lieutenant; who said, “The shooting victim was treated on scene by Murrieta Fire & Rescue personnel and transported to a local hospital for treatment of a non-life threatening gunshot wound.”
Murrieta Police Detectives responded to the scene and assumed the investigation. Detectives quickly developed leads and gathered information that led them to identifying three suspects; including Leon Boswell, 18, of Murrieta, and two juveniles as being responsible for the shooting.
All three were arrested by detectives about twelve hours after the shooting, at around 1 p.m. Online jail records indicate Boswell was arrested on Buffy Way, located to the immediate east side of the park.
After arresting the trio, detectives served a search warrant at the residence, where the weapon used in the shooting was located and recovered.
SEE ALSO: Surviving the Dixie Fire: Burney men share harrowing details after becoming lost and trapped within raging blaze
Although Gomez has said that detectives determined the victim and suspects knew each other “and had agreed to meet at the park prior to the shooting,” in a phone interview with RCNS today he declined to specify what led to the shooting or why the group had agreed to meet.
Citing the early ongoing nature of the investigation, Gomez said those details could not yet be released; however, he did specify that the shooting was not random and was an isolated incident, saying there is no danger or threat to the general public.
Boswell was later booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of attempted murder, second-degree robbery, criminal conspiracy, assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, using a firearm during the commission of a felony and inflicting great bodily injury.
Jail records indicate he remains in custody in lieu of $2 million bail or bond and is scheduled to be arraigned at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta Sept. 16.
The two juvenile suspects, whose names were not released due to their ages, were later booked into the Riverside County Juvenile Hall in Murrieta on similar charges.
Murrieta PD’s investigation is ongoing and Gomez today asked that anyone with further information regarding this shooting to contact Murrieta Police Detective Sergeant Henry Romero at (951) 461-6366 or [email protected]. Callers can refer to incident file number MR21-4759 and can remain anonymous. You can also provide information anonymously through “We Tip” at 1-800-78-CRIME.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
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.
Pingback: Man seen attempting to open car doors in Riverside traffic fatally struck – Riverside County News Source
Pingback: Hemet sex offender among trio of recent Riverside County inmate deaths – All ID’d – Riverside County News Source