One Man Dead After Highway 74 Shooting; CHP Says No Outstanding Suspects

The California Highway Patrol has released an update on Tuesday's fatal shooting on State Route 74, clarifying that the man who died was the suspect in the confrontation.

Investigators say the incident began around 2:09 p.m. on June 2, when CHP received reports of a crash on SR-74 near Palm Canyon. When officers arrived, they determined the collision had involved a tow truck and two other vehicles, and that gunfire had been exchanged during an armed confrontation in a road construction zone.

CHP says both the victim and the suspect fired their weapons during the incident. The suspect, a 52-year-old man from Midway City, was struck by gunfire and later died from his injuries. His name has not been released. No one else was killed.

The shooting prompted a full closure of Highway 74, the two-lane mountain road that connects the Coachella Valley to the Anza Valley and surrounding mountain communities. At its widest point on Tuesday, the closure stretched from the bottom of the grade near Palm Desert all the way to the Highway 371 junction near Anza. Travelers needing to reach Anza or mountain communities were rerouted through State Route 243 or via Highway 371 from the Hemet side.

The closure was lifted on Wednesday.

CHP's Border Division Major Crimes Unit is leading the investigation. Detectives say they have identified all parties involved, and there are no outstanding suspects.

Anyone with information is asked to call the CHP Border Division Major Crimes Unit at (858) 944-6300.