Murder charge filed against man accused in deadly Palm Springs shooting

A Sky Valley resident accused of fatally shooting a man in Palm Springs has been officially charged with murder.

Jeff Burgess, 42, was arrested Tuesday and remains held at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio, with bail set at $2 million. Along with the murder count, Burgess faces a sentence-enhancing allegation of discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury.

Burgess is scheduled to be arraigned Friday at the Banning Justice Center.

Officers were sent to the 700 block of West Racquet Club Drive about 4:15 a.m. Tuesday on a shooting report and found a man dead in the street, according to Palm Springs police Sgt. Mike Casavan. Police said that Burgess called 911 and "reported being involved in a shooting'' at the location. He was detained and questioned, and later taken into custody.

Lt William Hutchinson of the Palm Springs Police Department confirmed that the victim is a 44-year-old man.

A coroner's official said Thursday morning that the victim's full name was not yet available for release. Hutchinson added that authorities do not have a hold on the victim's ID, however, they have not been able to notify family.

Nobody else was injured, and there was no word on what precipitated the shooting. Hutchinson confirmed that investigators do not believe the Burgess and the victim knew each other.

Burgess has no documented felony convictions in Riverside County.