Attempted murder charges dropped against man accused in Indio shooting, pleads not guilty to assault
Attempted murder charges were dropped against a man accused in an Indio shooting two years ago. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday to new allegations of committing a felony in association with a gang.
Tasaun Thomas, 25, of Indio, and 22-year-old Kevin Rene Duarte were each charged with one felony count of attempted murder and two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, according to court records. They also face sentence-enhancing allegations of discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury and promoting gang activity.
Duarte was additionally charged with one felony count of inflicting injury on a child and faced additional sentence-enhancing allegations of committing a felony in association with a gang and using a firearm, according to court records.
But, according to court records, Thomas' charges were amended to one felony count each of assault on a person causing great bodily injury and being an accessory in a felony to escape arrest.
Both initially pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied the allegations in 2021.
After their preliminary hearing on Dec. 28, 2023, Duarte's charges remained unchanged, as was Thomas' charge of being an accessory aid, but Thomas was again charged with two felony counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, according to the case files.
Thomas re-entered not guilty pleas to his charges Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. Duarte re-entered not guilty pleas and denied his respective allegations Friday.
Their next court appearance was set for Feb. 20.
The investigation began May 9, 2021, when Indio officers responded to a call at 4:07 p.m. about a male victim shot in the area of Daisy Street and John Nobles Avenue, according to the Indio Police Department.
According to a declaration in support of Thomas' arrest filed by IPD Det. J. Perez, officers arrived on the scene a teen boy with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head.
The victim, whose name was not released, was transported to a hospital in critical condition, police said. Several witnesses at the scene identified Thomas and Duarte as allegedly being involved in the shooting.
A witness provided officers with the names "Tayson" and "Sleeze" as the suspects responsible of the shooting and said that were driving a white Honda sedan with tinted windows, according to James. The Honda pulled up to the witness and victim as they were walking and the driver, Thomas, allegedly showed them a photo on his phone while questioning the victim whether it was him.
Shortly after, it's alleged that Thomas called to Duarte, who was on foot and allegedly shot the victim before running to the passenger seat of the vehicle, James wrote. The suspects subsequently drove off.
Thomas turned himself in to the police department in September 2021 while Duarte surrendered in May that same year.
Duarte remains held at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta on $1 million bail, according to inmate records. According to court records, Thomas was released on a $500,00 bail bond.
