Crime & Safety
Man Arrested After Indio Motel 6 Shooting Leaves 1 Dead
A 27-year-old man was killed during a shooting in a Motel 6 in Indio.
INDIO, CA — A 27-year-old man was killed during a shooting in a Motel 6 in Indio, and the suspect remained under arrest Saturday, the Indio Police Department announced.
The shooting was reported around 11:30 p.m. Thursday at the Motel 6 located at the intersection of Sun Gold Street and Indio Boulevard where responding officers found the man suffering from a single gunshot wound to his chest and began life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
The suspect vehicle was allegedly seen fleeing the scene heading eastbound on Indio Boulevard, and was described as a white Toyota Camry with paper license plates, according to the Indio PD.
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Indio PD detectives along with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Coroner's office assumed the investigation and reviewed video surveillance footage from Motel 6 and flock cameras.
The suspect vehicle was seen near the crime scene and an investigative traffic stop was initiated. The vehicle allegedly briefly failed to yield, but upon coming to a stop, officers were able to conduct a high-risk felony stop.
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Two men and two women were detained without incident, and a bag that was allegedly thrown from within the vehicle was recovered from the street.
The bag allegedly contained a loaded Glock semi-automatic firearm, and the driver of the vehicle, 23-year-old Cameron Isaiah Maestas was identified as the shooting suspect.
Investigators found that there was a dispute between the victim and Maestas prior to the shooting, but the reason was unknown.
Maestas was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of murder and being in possession of an unregistered firearm. He was being held on a $1 million bail, and his first court appearance was scheduled for June 17 at the Indio Larson Justice Center.
The other man and the two women traveling in the suspect vehicle were initially detained with Maestas, but were later released from the station.
The identity of the victim was not immediately known.
Anyone with additional information was encouraged to contact detective Shane DaCosta at 760-541-4529.
— City News Service
