The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department have arrested three people in connection with the killing of an 18-year-old in Mecca.
Daniel Molina, 20, of Mecca, and two teens, ages 17 and 16, both of Mecca, were identified as “involved in the murder” of Anjel Rodriguez, an 18-year-old Thermal resident, Sgt. Alberto Loureiro said in a release.
Because the teens are minors, their names were not released.
Molina and the 17-year-old were arrested April 1 in Mecca, while the 16-year-old was arrested in Indio.
Molina was subsequently booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of murder. He was scheduled to appear in court April 3 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. The two teens were booked into the Indio Juvenile Hall on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, causing great bodily injury.
Deputies initially responded around 7:58 p.m. March 24 to a report of a shooting in the area of Coahuilla Street and 6th Street, near the Mecca Community Park and the Mecca Community Center, where they found Rodriguez “suffering with apparent gunshot wounds,” an earlier release from the sheriff’s department said.
Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 3 arrested in shooting that killed 18-year-old in Mecca
Reporting by Jennifer Cortez, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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