Trial date made official for Palm Springs shooting suspect

Two court dates were confirmed today, including the start of trial, for a 23-year-old man suspected in a late-night shooting last year that injured two people in Palm Springs.

Joel Ramirez Benitez of Palm Springs is accused of felony counts of attempted murder, assault with a gun and a sentence-enhancing allegation of causing great bodily injury, according to case records.

The defendant is scheduled for a mandatory settlement conference on Dec. 11, followed by a trial date on Jan. 24 -- both at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.  

Officers responded at 10:25 p.m. on Aug. 1, 2023 to reports of a shooting in the 2600 block of East Tahquitz Canyon Way, according to the Palm Springs Police Department. Two people were shot and sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.

Benitez was arrested early the next morning near North Indian Canyon Drive, according to inmate records. Police said officers were still trying to determine the motive for the shooting at the time of arrest.

He was subsequently booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, where he was held on $1 million bail.