19-year-old charged in deadly shooting outside of Food 4 Less in Indio

INDIO, Calif (KESQ) - A 19-year-old man has been charged with murder following a deadly shooting outside of the Food 4 Less store in Indio over the weekend.

Gideon Gonzalez Jr. of Indio is accused of killing a 26-year-old man Saturday evening. On Wednesday, he was officially charged with murder, two counts of assault with a gun, and two counts of child cruelty, as well as sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

He pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Wednesday before Riverside County Superior Court Judge William Lebov, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Feb. 21 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.   

Gonzalez is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Benoit Detention Center.

The shooting happened at around 5:40 p.m. on Saturday at 82124 Highway 111, according to an Indio Police Department statement. Officers responded and found the 26-year-old victim suffering from a gunshot wound and attempted life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.  

Witnesses told police the suspect fled southeast through the shopping center, where officers later detained him. A firearm was recovered at the scene, police said.

Investigators believe the confrontation began inside the store as a verbal dispute before e scalating into a physical altercation outside. According to police, the suspect -- identified as Gideon Gonzalez Jr. -- allegedly pulled a gun and shot the victim as he tried to flee.

Gonzalez was arrested shortly after and booked into the Southwest Detention Center on $1 million bail the following morning, according to inmate records.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any additional information regarding this incident was encouraged to contact the Indio Police Department at 760-391-4057.