Convicted Felon Charged With Fatal Shooting Of Hemet Man

BANNING, CA — A convicted felon accused of gunning down a 20-year- old man and wounding his female companion near downtown Hemet was charged Wednesday with murder and attempted murder.

Roman Ralph Mendez, 21, of Castro Valley, was arrested Thursday following a Hemet Police Department investigation into the double shooting last month.

Along with the murder and attempted murder counts, Mendez was charged with being a felon in possession of a gun, as well as sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

The defendant was being held in lieu of $2 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside and was slated to make his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon at the Banning Justice Center.

According to Hemet police Lt. Michael Mouat, about 3 a.m. Oct. 27, Mendez was involved in an unspecified confrontation with Jason Roy of Hemet in the 200 block of South Columbia Street, near Florida Avenue.

Mouat alleged that Mendez pulled a gun and shot both Roy and a woman with him, then fled the location.

A possible motive was not disclosed.

Witnesses called 911, and patrol officers and paramedics arrived within a few minutes. Roy was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman, whose identity was not released, suffered a single gunshot wound and underwent surgery. She is recovering, according to the lieutenant.

Detectives identified Mendez as the alleged shooter soon afterward and requested assistance from the Riverside County Gang Impact Team, composed of law enforcement officers from throughout the region, to track down the defendant, according to Mouat.

He said the team located Mendez last Thursday in Castro Valley and took him into custody without incident.

Mendez has felony convictions in another jurisdiction but not in Riverside County, according to court records.