Man Pleads Not Guilty in Coachella Shooting Death

INDIO (CNS) – A 22-year-old man pleaded not guilty today to murder and other charges for allegedly fatally shooting a 32-year-old man in Coachella. Andrew Quintana Martinez of Coachella was booked into the Southwest Detention Center at about 8 p.m. Thursday on suspicion of murder. He’s being held in lieu of $1 million bail. Martinez was charged with two felony counts for assault with a gun and one felony count for murder. He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges Tuesday. He is slated to appear at the Larson Justice Center in Indio on June 14, when the court will decide whether there is enough evidence to move forward with a trial. Martinez has four other active cases for charges including battery, kidnapping and being in possession of a firearm, according to court records. Deputies responded to a report of a shooting at 12:17 a.m. Thursday in the 85000 block of Cairo Avenue, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. They found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. He was identified as Jose A. Molina of Coachella, sheriff’s officials said. Investigators identified Martinez as the suspect and officers from the Coachella Police Department arrested him in Indio. Anyone with information about the fatal shooting was urged to contact Investigator Anderson of the sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit at 951-955-2777 or Investigator Glasper of the sheriff’s Thermal Station at 760-863-8990. Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc. CNS-06-07-2022 14:48