Murder charges filed against three men in Cathedral City gang shooting
CNS – Murder and attempted murder charges were filed Monday against three men accused in a gang-related shooting outside a Cathedral City strip club that left one man dead and two others injured.
Manuel Vargas, 30, Christian Miramontes, 24, and Guillermo Gomez, 22, are accused in last Wednesday’s slaying of Jason Rosas, 24, of Indio outside the Showgirls Gentlemen’s Club. The men also face special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and discharging a firearm from a vehicle, making them eligible for the death penalty, if prosecutors pursue it.
Vargas and Miramontes were taken into custody over the weekend, while Gomez remains at large.
Police say the suspects, Rosas and two other men got into a fight inside the club; that fight allegedly spilled into the parking lot after the men were kicked out around 2 a.m. The men were identified as “two groups of rival gang members,” by Cathedral City Police Chief Travis Walker.
Police did not specify what gangs the involved parties belong to but noted that are were from “out-of-area.”
After the fighting guests were kicked out of the club by security personnel, one suspect shot the victims with a handgun, Walker said.
All three victims were taken to a hospital, where Rosas later died. The other two — a 28-year-old Indio man and a 28-year-old Coachella man — were both expected to survive, police said.
Vargas is due to appear in an Indio courtroom Monday afternoon, while Miramontes is expected in court Tuesday.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting or Gomez’s whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Heather Olsen at 760-770-0398 or Sgt. Rick Sanchez at 760-202-2488.
Download the KESQ & CBS Local 2 app on iTunes or Google Play for up-to-the-minute breaking news alerts & more
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
Find us on Facebook: KESQ News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2
Follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates: @KESQ & @Local2
We’re on Instagram! @KESQ_News_Channel_3 & @CBSLocal2
Noticias en español: Telemundo 15
