News

3 men and teen shot following alleged DHS burglary

Published July 13, 2017 6:25 AM

Desert Hot Springs police are investigating after three men and one 17-year-old male were shot Wednesday afternoon following a burglary complaint, according to Police Chief Dale Mondary.

4th Street near Cactus Drive was shut down for several hours while officers investigating the scene.

#Breaking #News 4 people shot and taken to the hospital in Desert Hot Springs @JoeGalliNews @KESQ at 5pm w/the latest pic.twitter.com/t16CEtDOK8

— Chris Tarpening (@Tarp1969) July 12, 2017

It all started earlier in the day after police responded to a burglary complaint where a neighbor accused another neighbor of theft. Police didn’t find any evidence of the claim. Then, after police left the scene, the victim who complained about the theft returned to confront the neighbor by himself, according to Chief Mondary’s release.

Read: More Crime Headlines around the Coachella Valley

An argument began between the two neighbors, leading to a fight. Officers said at that point it appears two people began shooting at each other, but officers aren’t sure if it was the two men who were initially arguing.

People in the neighborhood say violence on their streets is caused by racial tensions.

“It is a gang problem and it’s also a racial problem. We are having a race war right now blacks against Mexicans. I don’t know if that is what happened today but I know it was both Mexicans and black people that got taken to the hospital,” said David Mendez, a neighbor.

A similar incident occurred in Desert Hot Springs in May but never led to any shots being fired. A man who was apparently trying to find his stolen iPad returned to the suspected home after police didn’t find any evidence of theft. Police said the man used ‘Find my iPhone’ to track his stolen property and returned to the home after police left, leading to reported animal abuse as he’s accused of breaking a dog’s back while trespassing in the backyard of the home. Read his full story here.

Chief Mondary said the four people who were shot have all been taken to local hospitals. A 17-year-old was shot in the groin, one victim was shot in the leg, another had a grazing gun shot wound to the head, and the last victim was shot in the torso. There’s no word on their exact conditions at this time. They are expected to survive.

Police said they are not searching for any other suspects.