Police Investigate Death of Three Men on Easter
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department continued their investigation of a deadly Easter Sunday in Coachella. Two men were shot and killed early Sunday morning.
Officers from the Coachella Police Department were dispatched to a “shots fired” call in the 52000 block of Calle Camacho. When they arrived, the officers found the two Hispanic males shot and killed inside of a home.
16 year-old Johnny Avila lives across the street and shares his account. “They were in the living room, and they just saw some guy go in there,” said Avila. “When the lady came out, the grandma, they had already been dead.”
Detectives said the two men were related and lived with their grandmother at the home. Avila knew one of the men well. “He was around 17 and the other in his late thirties, said Avila. “The oldest one, I only ever saw him around, but the youngest one was the one I talked to.”
Avila also added that they struggled to make ends meet, though doesn’t believe that was a motive for their deaths. “The day before that he had called me over to his house and he told me he needed a dollar,” said Avila. “He would always ask my mom but I told him, ‘no, my mom needs to pay bills.”
In a separate incident, police responded to a man who was beaten badly that afternoon. Coachella police officers were dispatched to the 85000 block of Hill Drive at 6:30 p.m. Sunday in response to reports of an assault, said Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Jim Erickson. The victim was transported to JFK hospital in Indio. “He was alive at the time, he just had trouble speaking and breathing,” said Lieutenant Matt Martello from the Riverside Sheriff’s Department. “When the officers arrived he was unable to articulate what the problem was at the time.”
He later died at the hospital. His name is also not being released. Though the two crimes happened only a mile apart, police beleive they are not connected. “No, they’re totally unrelated incidents,” said Liutenant Martello. “We believe at this time, there’s nothing that indicates they were related.”
The investigation is ongoing, if you have any information call Valley Crimestoppers at 760-341-STOP. You could be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward.
