BANNING, CA — A suspect has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a 50-year-old man in an unincorporated area near Banning, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced Saturday.
Deputies were dispatched around 10:50 p.m. on Wednesday to the 47000 block of Morongo Road, where they discovered the body of Orlando Lara. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Following an investigation by the RCSD Central Homicide Unit, detectives identified 43-year-old Robert Leonard of Beaumont as the primary suspect. Authorities have not disclosed the motive or how Leonard was linked to the crime.
Leonard was arrested on Friday in a coordinated operation involving the Riverside County District Attorney’s Gang Impact Team and the Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau’s K-9 Unit. He has been booked into the Riverside County Jail on suspicion of murder and is being held without bail.
Investigation Ongoing
Officials are urging anyone with additional information to come forward. Individuals may contact Investigator Manjarrez at 951-955-2777 or Investigator Letterly at 760-393-3502.
The investigation remains active as authorities work to determine the circumstances surrounding Lara’s death.