Two felons charged for gunfight that left mother, 5-year-old child wounded in Indio

Two convicted felons have been charged in connection to a gunfight outside of a home in Indio that left a mother and her five-year-old child wounded on Tuesday. 

Jesus Delarosa, 25, and Ricardo Mercado, 29, both of Indio, were arrested following the shooting, according to the Indio Police Department. 

Officers were called to a property in the 82-000 block of Mountain View Avenue, near Monroe Street, at around 1 p.m. on Tuesday after learning of the shooting. They say that the two victims, both of Coachella Valley, were riding in a pickup truck with Delarosa when he parked in the area, where Mercado was waiting to meet him. 

At some point during their interaction, another unidentified man drove up to the two, which drew a strong reaction from Delarosa, police said. 

"An altercation ensued," police said. Delarosa produced a handgun and opened fire, wounding the man. 

"During this confrontation, Mercado fired multiple rounds at the pickup truck occupied by Delarosa, the mother and her child," police said. "Both the mother and child sustained gunshot wounds."

Delarosa was not struck during the gunfight. He fled from the area, stopping in the 43-700 block of Deglet Noor Street where he sought help for the two victims. 

The boy was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center for treatment on wounds police called severe. He was in stable condition at the latest. 

The woman was taken to JFK Memorial Hospital where she is also in stable condition, police said. 

The unidentified man took himself to the same hospital in Indio, but he was transferred to the Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where he was treated for a non-life-threatening wound, police said. 

"He was uncooperative with investigators," they noted. 

Investigators have not yet determined a motive for the gunfight or how the three men are connected. 

Delarosa was arrested at N. Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs on Tuesday night. Mercado was arrested at around the same time after a search warrant was served as his home on Mountain View. 

Both were charged with firearm assault, being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm and sentence-enhancing parole or probation violations, police said. Delarosa was also charged with child endangerment. 

They are both being held without bail and were slated to appear in court on Friday.