DHS police investigate series of shootings
UPDATE: 6:15 p.m.
Longtime Desert Hot Springs resident Jennifer Battenfield spent much of Thursday checking on a home her stepdad is about to move into near 6th Street and Cactus Drive.
The home is located close to where officers found a body the night before after a deadly shooting.
“My stepdad’s 74, he’s very friendly and I just need to feel like he’s safe,” she said.
Battenfield said she and other residents are concered about the area after a recent uptick in crimes, taking place after a drop in activity compared to last year.
“Our part one crimes were down 18 percent from 2015 to 2016,” Desert Hot Springs Police Chief Dale Mondary said. “While this is a cause for concern, this is a huge concern for us.”
Wednesday night’s shooting happened just down the street from where officers found a body in a driveway on Monday.
But Word of Life Fellowship Center Pastor Kephyan Sheppard said he and police officers will be holding a public forum for residents to address concerns, especially about crime in the area near his church.
“Our church is literally seven blocks away,” Sheppard said. “A lot of our kids especially, they walk these streets at night to and from practice, to and from the church. And some of us men have to almost police them getting up and down these streets after what’s been happening lately.”
Residents and police officers said they hope to come up with answers to stop the issues from growing.
“I actually want to bring this community together for a prayer walk and start reclaiming these streets again, because something’s got to give,” Sheppard said.
The forum will take place at the Word of Life Fellowship Center at 66290 Estrella Avenue in Desert Hot Springs next Monday, April 3rd at 6 p.m.
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ORIGINAL STORY: 2:21 p.m.
Desert Hot Springs police are investigating a shooting that happened in the parking lot of AutoZone early Thursday morning. The Auto Zone is located near Palm Drive and Flora Avenue. This shooting happened about 11 hours after a deadly shooting occurred near the same area.
March 28: Victim identified in early morning homicide in Desert Hot Springs
Commander Jim Henson said officers were called to the AutoZone parking lot at about 7:13 a.m.
Police found two individuals who they have identified as the suspect and the victim, but they haven’t specified exactly what led up to the shooting. Henson said the suspect suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
March 19: Man dies after being shot by police outside Desert Hot Springs
The shooting happened about 11 hours after a deadly shooting occurred on Cactus Drive and 6th Street. Police are still searching for the suspect connected to the homicide.
The investigation into both shootings continues.
December 13 – Police arrest Cathedral City gang member for deadly Desert Hot Springs shooting
KESQ and CBS Local 2’s Zak Dahlheimer is meeting with Desert Hot Springs police on Thursday to deliver more in-depth details about the string of recent shootings occurring in the city. You can watch his full report on KESQ at 5 p.m. and on CBS Local 2 at 5:30 p.m.
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