Bond for shooting suspect set at $350K
The 33-year-old man arrested in connection to Wednesday’s shooting in an alleyway between Avenue A and 11th Avenue, in which two people were injured, made his initial appearance in Yuma Justice Court Thursday afternoon.
Standing with an attorney from the Yuma County Public Defender’s Office by his side, Daniel Gilbert Munoz listened as Justice of the Peace Russ Jones read the charges he was arrested on, one of which was attempted murder.
Other charges currently being sought against Munoz include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of criminal
damage.
Jones also explained to Munoz that the county attorney’s office has two days to review the case and determine whether to file a criminal complaint against him, charging him with any of the offenses.
He continued by saying that if no criminal complaint was filed against him, he would be released. If a complaint was filed, however, he would be provided with a copy of it when he returns to court Monday.
“I’m going to retain you in custody until that time,” Jones said.
Prior to bail being set, the attorney representing Munoz asked Judge Jones to take into consideration that his client had strong ties to the community before setting the bond amount.
Judge Jones, however, set bail in the amount of a $350,000 cash-only bond. Monoz is scheduled to return to Yuma Justice Court at 1 p.m. Monday
According to Yuma police, at about 12:02 p.m. Wednesday officers responded to a report of a disturbance in the area of the 2000 block of South Avenue A, with shots having been fired at the location.
When officers arrived on scene, they found that a shooting had happened in the alleyway between Avenue A and 11th Avenue. Initial investigation revealed that three vehicles were involved in the incident and that multiple shots had been fired.
All three cars left the scene after the shooting, with one running into the back wall of the All Seasons Florist building, located in the 2000 block of South Avenue A.
Both of the injured individuals — a male and a female — were in the same car and were able to drive themselves to Yuma Regional Medical Center, where they were treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.
Later that afternoon, at approximately 1:30 p.m. one of the vehicles involved was located in Somerton. Due to the severity of the crime, the Yuma Police Department Special Enforcement Team was deployed to the area of Somerton Avenue and Fulton Street, where the suspect was presumed to be hiding.
Somerton Middle School was placed on lockdown as a precautionary measure, due to its proximity to the incident.
The investigation is ongoing, and Yuma police are continuing to search for the third vehicle that was involved and any additional suspects.
James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 5396854. Find him on Facebook at www. Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @YSJamesGilbert.