Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jun 23

AFN Employee Dies of Gunshot Wound After 8 a.m. Crash Near March Air Reserve Base

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jun 23

AFN Employee Dies of Gunshot Wound After 8 a.m. Crash Near March Air Reserve Base

Q: Why did a morning commute near a US airbase end with a fatal gunshot?

It is not yet known why the commute ended in a fatal gunshot; investigators have confirmed only that the AFN employee was shot before or during a two-vehicle crash near March Air Reserve Base. Authorities say the employee, who worked for the American Forces Network and was driving to work Tuesday morning, was involved in a collision near 2nd and Z streets in Moreno Valley. Deputies initially responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon and then found the driver had injuries consistent with a gunshot wound. The employee was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later died. The other driver in the crash was also hospitalized, reportedly with a broken leg that was not considered life-threatening. Investigators have not said whether the shooting happened inside a vehicle, before the crash, or as a result of some confrontation on the road. They also have not said whether any suspect is outstanding or whether the gunshot could have been self-inflicted. What is clear is that the crash itself does not appear to explain the death; the fatal injury was the gunshot wound. March Air Reserve Base has said no military personnel were involved. The Moreno Valley Investigation Bureau is leading the case, and officials have not released a motive or sequence of events. So, the short answer is that the commute ended fatally because the AFN employee suffered a gunshot wound in circumstances that remain under active investigation.

Q: What led a California car crash to be investigated as a deadly roadside shooting?

It was treated as a deadly roadside shooting because investigators found that one of the drivers in the crash, an American Forces Network employee, had injuries consistent with a gunshot wound. Deputies in Riverside County were initially sent to the area near March Air Reserve Base after a report of an assault with a deadly weapon. When they arrived, they found a two-vehicle collision involving an SUV and a sedan near 2nd and Z streets in Moreno Valley. Both drivers were taken to a hospital in critical condition. At the hospital, authorities determined that the AFN employee, who had been driving to work around 8 a.m., had been shot. That discovery changed the case from a traffic collision into a homicide-style investigation. The employee later died, while the other driver reportedly suffered a broken leg and non-life-threatening injuries. What triggered the shift in the investigation, then, was not the crash itself but evidence that the victim had been shot before or during the incident. Authorities have not publicly explained what led to the shooting or how it was connected to the collision. The Moreno Valley Investigation Bureau is handling the case.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 23

An American Forces Network employee who crashed while driving to work near March Air Reserve Base on Tuesday was later found to have injuries consistent with a gunshot wound and died.
Riverside County deputies were first sent to an assault-with-a-deadly-weapon call around 8 a.m., and California Highway Patrol officers said both drivers were taken to a hospital in critical condition.
Authorities have not identified the employee or disclosed what led to the shooting, and the Moreno Valley Investigation Bureau has taken over the case.
March Air Reserve Base sits about 60 miles east of Los Angeles; AFN runs the U.S. military's broadcast service, with its main broadcast center in Riverside.