Valley Shooting Leaves Police and Victim Trying To Understand

“I came outside, I started hearing all these sirens and I came outside. We were having a barbeque. They said that there were shots fired,” neighbor Eric Tapia said.

“There was a car parked here and sure enough, you could see all the bullet holes on the side of the car and through the windshield. The back window had been shot out as well,” neighbor James Zentner said.

Around 8:30 p.m. Saturday night, Cathedral City Police responded to a shooting.

“They found the victim in a vehicle, and obviously the vehicle had been shot up by a few bullets,” Ed Colon of the Cathedral City Police Department said.

Investigators said two drivers were at the intersection of Ortega and Shifting Sands — when one opened fired on the other.

“It’s kind of hard to classify it as a drive by because the vehicles were both moving,” Colon said.

The victim, a 33-year-old man, was shot in the upper torso but was found conscious and alert. Officers said they think the suspect possibly drove a dark colored Toyota Tacoma.

A man who lived here on the corner of Shifting Sands and Ortega for eight years said he’s no stranger to the sound of gunshots.

“I’ve heard shots on New Year’s Eve, stuff like that, Fourth of July,” Zentner said.

“Recently, yeah, a lot more crime has been happening,” Tapia added. “That’s just how the world is, and you just have to adjust to it.”

Police don’t have a motive yet – nor does the victim.

“The victim is telling us that there was no reason for the suspect to shoot at him. He has no idea why or how come,” Colon said. “There’s usually reasons for something happening, especially a shooting. There’s usually a good reason, but according to this victim, there is no reason.

The victim is in stable condition at Desert Regional Medical Center.