Two Killed, Deputy Wounded in Shootings Police Believe are Related

Riverside County sheriff's officials are still on the hunt today for at least one suspect they believe shot and killed two in Moreno Valley and may also be related to a shooting that wounded a Riverside County sheriff's deputy Tuesday, July 22. The violence began yesterday afternoon at a Shell gas station at Sunnymead Ranch Parkway and Old Lake Road, where the first victim was identified at the scene by family members as 74-year-old Wilma Patterson, according to CBS2 reports. Police reports indicated that Patterson was found dead in her SUV, possibly from a gunshot to the head. Around 2:25 p.m. a deputy in the 8500 block of Pigeon Pass Road near Mt. Vernon Avenue at the Riverside and Grand Terrace boarders called for assistance after he encountered a man wearing body armor and armed with a semiautomatic rifle, as reported by The Sun. Deputies also responded to a homicide call at a home at Delphinium Avenue in Moreno Valley, according to a report by the Press Enterprise. The identity of the second homicide victim is still unknown at this time. Riverside County police and SWAT team members were gathered yesterday afternoon at Pigeon Pass Road near Sandals Church, on the border between Riverside and Grand Terrace. A Sandals Church attendee was able to confirm that no violence had taken place at the church, which as of 5 p.m. yesterday was in lockdown, but rather Riverside County sheriff's officials were using the location as a command post. Sandals Church Facilities Director Dale Brooks told the City News, "Police were there as a precaution. Nothing happened at the church." Police at the scene Tuesday were able to confirm there was a shooting, but did not give any more information. The shootings set off a manhunt that lasted late into the night. At a late-night press conference Tuesday evening, Capt. Joel Ontiveros, who is also Moreno Valley's police chief, told reporters there were one or two outstanding suspects. He confirmed sheriff's officials believe these three events are connected but did not give further information or take questions. Riverside sheriff's deputies closed off the neighborhood of Hidden Springs at the northern end of Pigeon Pass Road for several hours last night, according to the Press Enterprise. There have been no reports of suspects taken into custody at this time.