Early on October 26, 2024, just before 2 a.m., Palm Springs Police got a call about a shooting on North Palm Canyon Drive, right in the heart of downtown Palm Springs. When officers arrived, they found two people caught up in the incident. One of them had been shot in the leg. Thankfully, the injury wasn’t life-threatening, and the victim was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Here’s what investigators pieced together: it all started with a heated argument involving the victims and others nearby. During the confrontation, someone pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots before running off through an alley to the east. Despite officers quickly searching the area and talking to witnesses, they didn’t have much to go on at first.
But the story didn’t end there. Detectives kept digging and eventually identified the suspect as 23-year-old Pedro Morales from Indio. They didn’t stop at just figuring out who he was—they got an arrest warrant and brought in the big guns to make sure it all went smoothly. On December 4, 2024, Desert Regional SWAT, which includes officers from Palm Springs, Indio, and Cathedral City police departments, showed up at a home on Calle Del Sol in Indio. They arrested Morales without any trouble.
Now, Morales is facing some serious charges. He’s been booked at the John Benoit Detention Center on attempted murder charges and is being held on $1 million bail while the investigation continues.
