May 20, 2024 - Riverside County Sheriff Department officials report on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at approximately 2:36 a.m., deputies were dispatched to the 79000 block of Paseo Del Rey in the city of La Quinta for a report of a shooting in the area. Upon arrival, deputies searched the area in an attempt to locate any victims, suspects, or evidence of a shooting. While searching the area, deputies were notified of a 17-year-old male who had arrived at a local hospital with injuries consistent with a gunshot wound. The male was later pronounced deceased.

The Riverside Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit responded and assumed the investigation. During the course of the investigation, two suspects were identified and later arrested for their involvement in the homicide. Elijah Alfredo Martinez, an 18-year-old resident of Bermuda Dunes, and Dominick Cruz Venecia, an 18-year-old residence of Coachella, were booked into John Benoit Detention Center for murder. This investigation is ongoing, and no additional details are available at this time.

Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Investigator D. Brown with the Central Homicide Unit at (951) 955–1777 or Investigator J. Bugarin with the Thermal Sheriff’s Station at (760) 863–8990.

Source and photos: Riverside County Sheriff Department