Neighbors react to deputy shooting, manhunt for suspect
Gildardo Davila, 27, was caught running from police in surveillance video Thursday.
A second man was also seen fleeing the scene on video. Moments after, shots were fired, and a Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy shot and wounded.
A closer look at wanted gang member accused of shooting RSO deputy
“I have three younger brothers and they were playing outside when this was happening,” Coachella resident Jesus Hernandez said. “So it’s kind of scary to think at a blink of an eye it just happens, a shooting. It’s scary.”
Saturday, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department asked the public for help in looking for Davila. New photos of Davila’s body tattoos were also released.
The Sheriff’s Department said in a tweet, “The search for Davila continues and it will not stop until he’s caught.”
Two days later, neighbors said things appear to be back in order, although some are still uneasy knowing that Davila remains at large.
“I just hope they get him, cause it is still scary to know if he’s still armed or anywhere else in here,” Leslie Garcia said.
Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez said he’s familiar with Davila and his lengthy criminal record.
“I’ve seen him involved in other activities,” Hernandez said. “I’ve seen that face. At the end of the day, I think this individual does not belong in society. He deserves to be gone form society.”
Hernandez said the City of Coachella is working to rid the community of gang violence.
Just two years ago, during “Operation Safer Coachella Gang Sweep”, 27 homes were hit with warrants and 14 suspected gang members were arrested.
“For us, it’s important that we stay united and support our law enforcement community,” he said. “It’s about us as a community stepping up and reporting crime. It’s about us as a community saying enough is enough. At the same time, we’re going to devote the resources that we need to to continue to make strides when it comes to gang intervention and prevention.”
Now Hernandez is confident justice will be served.
“This individual does not represent who we are as a city,” he said. “This is one individual out of 47,000. We’ll apprehend him, we’ll catch him (and) we’ll put him away.”
Stay with KESQ and CBS Local 2 for the latest on the search for Davila on-air, online and on our breaking news mobile app.
