Felony charges may be filed Wednesday against a 43-year-old Mecca resident suspected of gunning down two men in Thermal.
Alberto Tomas Padron was arrested and booked into the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside Thursday night on suspicion of murder with firearm allegations. Padron is being held without bail.
His case was under review Tuesday by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Lance Stoyer, at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, deputies received reports of two gunshot victims at a residence in the 67000 block of Polk Street, near Martinez Road.
“Upon arrival, deputies located 50-year-old Oscar Romero Castro and a 47-year-old Hispanic man,” the sergeant said, noting that the second victim’s identity couldn’t be announced publicly until his relatives had been contacted.
Both victims had been shot to death, according to Stoyer.
The circumstances, including a possible motive, were not disclosed.
Central Homicide Unit detectives took over the investigation and soon identified Padron as the alleged shooter. With assistance from county Gang Impact Team personnel, the suspect was tracked to the area of Fourth and Kiler streets in Mecca, where he was taken into custody without incident around 10:30 p.m. Thursday.
Background information on Padron was unavailable.