La Quinta law enforcement will discuss crime and safety concerns following a deadly shooting

On Monday, a sixteen year old boy was found dead in the Kohl's parking lot off Highway 111.

"We believed to be involved in that matter was found on scene detained and identified," says Riverside County Sheriff's Department Lieutenant Andy Martinez. "So, at the moment, we're not looking for anyone. No one's outstanding; everyone's cooperating. And at the moment, we don't have well; we don't have reason to believe that this was gang related or a random act of violence."

Lieutenant Andy Martinez from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department says they collected a firearm on scene.

"We don't believe that there are any other guns outstanding, but our investigators are still reviewing evidence," says Martinez.

A motive is still under investigation, and no arrests were made.

According to the California Department of Justice Crimes and Clearances for La Quinta, in the past five years, violent crimes have been on a slight increase. "The police staffing within La Quinta is sufficient for the volume of crime and calls for service that we generate in comparison to other cities across the valley," says Martinez. "So I think we're very well staffed and ready to respond to anything that comes our way."

As far as homicides in the past five years, 2019 saw a spike with five cases in La Quinta. "So those numbers are very interesting, too, because you can't really look at the numbers," says Martinez." From the outside, you really have to dissect each case; specifically, if you look at those 2019 homicides, a lot of them much, I would say, most, if not all, a majority of them were within family units. So as people that knew each other, they weren't random acts of violence. They just resulted in a homicide, whatever led up to it."

Locals that were on the scene as investigators gathered evidence and watched as they covered the vehicle to move the body. Even though most of the residents we spoke to did not see the actual body, they all say the thought of a homicide in the city is concerning. One woman shared that she saw the body before they covered him and couldn't believe she was there just Sunday preparing her daughter for school. She says she returned the next day for a few more items and saw the tragic scene.

La Quinta city officials have contacted News Channel 3 to address those concerns of La Quinta not being a safe city.