Man Arrested in Connection with DHS Killing; Suspect Injured

(CNS) – A man was fatally shot Friday in Desert Hot Springs, and a suspect was arrested hours later following a confrontation with police that led to gunfire that left the alleged killer with a minor injury.

Desert Hot Springs police responded at 7:40 a.m. to a report of a shooting in the 13500 block of Mountain View Road. Officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound and called paramedics, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not immediately identified.

Detectives eventually identified the shooting suspect as 42-year-old Oscar Ernesto Canas, Saucier said. He was located in Sky Valley around 12:10 p.m., when member of a Gang Task Force attempted to take him into custody.

It was unclear what occurred during that confrontation, but Saucier said at least one shot was fired, and Canas was taken to a hospital with non- life-threatening injuries. It was unclear if he was hit by gunfire or injured in some other way. There was no word on how many shots were fired, or what prompted the gunfire, or if Canas was armed.

There were no reports of any injuries to officers.

Canas was treated for minor injuries and was later booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, where he was being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

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