Deadly Indio Crash Ruled Homicide

The two women killed during a late night car crash last Thursday were chased down before hitting a light pole.

Police are now ruling this case a homicide.

Investigators have determined that there was a confrontation between the the people in the suburban that eventually crashed and a small compact car.

Authorities say at least one person fired a gun at the suburban before the chase, which eventually killed two mothers.

“It’s hard because she was a good person,” said Gilbert Ramirez, who opened up about his cousin, Linda Franco Dominguez, 34, who died after her SUV wrapped around a traffic light pole. “She had six kids. She was a good mom, and she left this world in a tragic story, and she loved her family with all her heart and she’s gonna be greatly missed.”

Andrea Chavez, 36, a mother of nine, was also killed.

The crash happened at the corner of Monroe and Indio Boulevard.

Ramirez says Chavez’s 19-year-old son, his baby boy and girlfriend were also in the car.

The baby was not injured but was taken to the hospital for a checkup.

The other two are in stable condition.

Authorities say those five were in a tan Chevy suburban.

A confrontation broke out between them and the suspects in a small compact car.

That’s when someone in the compact car fired a gun at the suburban.

The suburban sped away.

“We don’t have a make, a model or color,” said Ben Guitron with the Indio Police Department. “We know that there’s three occupants in the vehicle at least, and we don’t have any description — nationally or even confirmed sex on the three, other than there were three adults inside the vehicle.”

Dominguez’s family believes this crime is gang related and say they’ve already received threats from the gang possibly involved.

Authorities say no weapon was found in the suburban.

“We don’t know what happened between the time that they had their confrontation and the time they had the accident,” said Guitron. “There’s still more details that have to be investigated.”

“I just hope the police aggressively look for the perpetrators and that they will be brought to justice,” said Ramirez.

Authorities still need your help to solve this crime.

If you have any information that could lead to an arrest, call the Indio police.

Dominguez’s family members will also have a car wash to raise funds.

It will start at 8 a.m. Sunday at the parking lot in front of Planned Parenthood at 49-111 Highway 111 in Indio.