Two attempted murder charges filed in shooting
Prosecutors with the Yuma County Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint Tuesday afternoon against the 33-year-old man arrested in connection to last week’s shooting in an alleyway, charging him with two felony offenses.
During what was his arraignment hearing in Yuma Justice Court, Daniel Gilbert Munoz was informed by Justice of the Peace Greg Stewart that he was being charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, both premeditated.
When asked if he wanted to waive the formal reading of the complaint and the further advisement of his client’s rights, Munoz’s public defender, who was representing him only for the purpose of the hearing, said that he did. He also asked to be heard on conditions of release, specifically requesting that bail be lowered.
The public defender stated that his client can’t afford to pay it as presently set as a cash-only bond. He also informed the court that his client was not a flight risk due to having strong ties to the community, which included a family, a girlfriend and three young children.
Judge Stewart, however, denied the requests, adding that the county attorney’s office had requested the bond remain at the $250,000 cash-only amount it had previously been set at, which he agreed to do.
In addition to assigning the case to the Yuma County Public Defenders Office to appoint an attorney to represent Munoz, Judge Stewart also scheduled his next court appearance for a preliminary hearing at 4 p.m. on June 1.
However, he explained to Munoz that his case would likely go before the grand jury to determine if there is probable cause for them to proceed to Superior Court. If not, he explained he would return to Justice Court for the preliminary hearings, at which time he would make the determination.
Judge Stewart also ordered that Munoz pay $750 of the cost of having a public defender to represent him and that there were ways the amount could ultimately be reduced.
According to Yuma police, at about 12:02 p.m. on May 23, 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. The 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 thath were not lifethreatening.
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.