A 19-year-old man accused of gunning down a grocery store customer in Indio during a physical altercation that spilled out of the supermarket and into the parking lot was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder and other offenses.
Gideon Gonzalez Jr. was arrested immediately after the alleged attack Saturday outside the Food-4-Less in the 82100 block of Highway 111.
Along with murder, Gonzalez was charged with three counts of firearm assault and two counts of child endangerment, as well as sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
He pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Wednesday before Riverside County Superior Court Judge William Lebov, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Feb. 21 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
Gonzalez is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Benoit Detention Center.
According to the Indio Police Department, patrol officers were sent to the supermarket at 5:40 p.m. Saturday to investigate reports of a shooting. They found the 26-year-old victim, whose name hasn’t been released, mortally wounded. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
A description of the alleged shooter was obtained, and officers located the man, later identified as Gonzalez, five minutes later a short distance away.
Investigators said the confrontation between the defendant and victim began in the store for unspecified reasons, leading to a fight in the parking lot.
Gonzalez pulled a handgun and opened fire, shooting the victim at close range, police alleged.
No other details were provided, and the child cruelty and firearm assault counts were not explained.
The defendant has no documented prior felony convictions in adult court.