Jeremy Amerson, 32, was found dead on August 17, 2020, in a flood control channel in Jurupa Valley. His body had multiple gunshot wounds; emergency lifesaving efforts failed and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department identified the shooting as homicide and pursued an investigation.

Investigators found that Amerson and 36-year-old Shaun Daniel Tara of Jurupa Valley had been acquaintances whose relationship deteriorated after a drug-related dispute. Amerson had witnessed an earlier July 29, 2020, shooting at an am/pm convenience store involving Tara and later criticized Tara for drawing attention to the homeless encampment where Amerson and his girlfriend were staying. Witnesses say that in the early hours of August 17 Tara approached Amerson beneath the Van Buren Boulevard bridge while Amerson worked on a motorcycle, shots were fired, and Amerson was killed.

Tara was arrested on August 27, 2020, in Pomona and charged with first-degree murder; he was held without bail. What did readers in Jurupa Valley notice about the encampment or tensions there in mid-2020?