Man arrested for deadly shooting outside of Food 4 Less store in Indio
Police have arrested a 19-year-old man in connection with a deadly shooting outside of a grocery store in Indio over the weekend.
It happened at around 5:40 p.m. on Saturday at a Food-4-Less store located in the 82000 block of Highway 111, according to a statement from the Indio Police Department.
Officers arrived to find the victim, only identified as a 26-year-old man, suffering from a gunshot wound. They attempted life-saving measures but he was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Witnesses told investigators that the suspect ran from the area southeast through the shopping center, where he was later detained. Police say that they recovered a gun at the scene.
During their preliminary investigation, they determined that the suspect and victim were involved in some sort of argument inside of the store that moved outside, where it turned into a physical altercation.
That then escalated into a shooting, when the suspect pulled a gun and shot at the victim as he tried to run. Police have identified the suspect as Gideon Gonzalez Jr.
He was arrested and booked the following morning where he remains behind bars on $1 million bail, police said.
On Wednesday, Gonzalez was charged with murder, three counts of firearm assault and two counts of child endangerment as well as sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations, according to prosecutors.
He pleaded not guilty during an arraignment hearing in Riverside County and is scheduled to reappear for a felony settlement conference on Feb. 21.
Anyone who knows more is asked to contact police at (760) 391-4057.