Arraignment was postponed Wednesday for a 22-year-old man accused of gunning down two people and seriously wounding a third person in Banning.
Dorian Alexander Francisco of Banning was arrested last month following the alleged attack in the 3300 block of Ramsey Street, just west of Sunset Avenue. Wednesday’s scheduled hearing was postponed because Francisco is in the process of securing a private attorney.
Francisco is charged with murder and attempted murder, as well as special circumstance allegations of taking multiple lives in a crime and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
The special circumstance makes him eligible for capital punishment — if he’s convicted and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office elects to pursue the death penalty.
During an appearance at the Banning Justice Center, Francisco’s public defender told Superior Court Judge Mark Singerton that the defendant was seeking his own attorney, prompting the judge to schedule a confirmation of counsel hearing for Feb. 3, at which point the arraignment will also go forward.
Francisco is being held without bail at the nearby Smith Correctional Facility.
According to the Banning Police Department, he shot the three victims shortly before 5 p.m. on Dec. 28 in a non-residential area less than a quarter-mile north of I-10.
Police did not reference a possible motive, saying only that the victims were part of a group gathered at the location.
After the gunfire erupted, witnesses called 911, and patrol officers converged on the scene, from which the shooter had fled, authorities said.
One victim, identified in court documents only as “Michael G.,” was pronounced dead by paramedics. The other two victims were taken to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley with life-threatening wounds. One of the patients, identified in documents as “Mayra G.,” died at the hospital, according to police.
The third victim, whose identity was not disclosed, is recovering from his wounds.
Detectives quickly developed leads pointing to Francisco as the alleged perpetrator, and a multi-agency search was initiated, netting results on the afternoon of Dec. 30, when Banning patrol officers took the defendant into custody without incident on East Ramsey Street.
Francisco has no documented prior felony or misdemeanor convictions in Riverside County. His only listed offenses are for being an unlicensed driver and speeding last March. Both were infractions, resulting in fines.