20-year-old man sentenced to 14 years in prison for Coachella shooting
A 20-year-old man pleaded guilty today to an amended charge of assault with a semi-automatic firearm in the shooting of a 32-year-old Coachella resident.
Judge Melissa Hale sentenced Jeraldo Mederos to 14 years in state prison Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio after the defendant entered his guilty plea.
Mederos, who previously pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, had his complaint amended Wednesday morning as part of a plea deal, according to John Hall of the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. That charge was dismissed and the assault charge was added.
In addition to the assault charge, a sentencing enhancement of causing great bodily injury was found true as well.
Patrol units from the Thermal sheriff's station responded at 9:36 p.m. July 26, 2023 to a report of a shooting in the 51800 block of Calle Techa, according to Sgt. David Aldrich of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
"Upon arrival, deputies located a 32-year-old Coachella resident suffering from multiple gunshot wounds,'' Aldrich wrote in a statement. "The victim was airlifted to a local hospital and is recovering."
A Special Investigations Unit assumed the investigation and identified Mederos along with two then-15-year-olds as the suspects, according to Aldrich. One of the teens was arrested Aug. 2 in the 47600 block of Oasis Street and the other was arrested Aug. 15 in the 52700 block of Frederick Street.
