Suspect Arrested Following Shooting of 32-Year-Old Man in El Centro; victim airlifted to Palm Springs.
EL CENTRO — A 32-year-old man was airlifted to a Palm Springs hospital with life-threatening injuries following a shooting in El Centro early Wednesday, Oct. 9, authorities reported. The suspect, 52-year-old Michael B. Felix, was arrested within hours of the incident.
El Centro police were first alerted to the shooting around 3 a.m., when officers were dispatched to El Centro Regional Medical Center. The victim, a Hispanic male, was being treated for a gunshot wound to his left tricep, according to a report by the Calexico Chronicle.
“The bullet penetrated through his arm and into his upper torso. The victim was flown to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs to receive further treatment for his injuries,” Sgt. Steven Fisher told the Calexico Chronicle. At the time of reporting, the victim’s condition was unavailable.
Through the course of their investigation, El Centro police identified Felix as the alleged shooter. He was taken into custody later that morning, around 8:20 a.m., at his residence in the 400 block of East Olive Avenue, the same location where the shooting is believed to have occurred.
Felix, a convicted felon, was booked into the Imperial County Jail on charges of attempted murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and being a person prohibited from possessing a firearm. His bail was set at $1 million, Calexico Chronicle reported.
El Centro police were assisted by the Imperial County Narcotic Task Force and agents from Homeland Security Investigations’ Border Enforcement Security Team, according to an El Centro police press release.
The investigation is ongoing, and further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.