Jose A. Molina

Jose A. Molina, a 32-year-old Hispanic man, was a resident of Coachella, California. His life was cut short in a shooting in his home city in the early summer of 2022.

Just after midnight on June 2, 2022, deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's Thermal station responded to a report of a shooting. At 12:17 a.m., they arrived at the 85000 block of Cairo Street, near Shady Lane, where they found Jose Molina in the front yard of a residence. He was suffering from gunshot wounds. Paramedics rushed him to a local hospital, but he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.

The Sheriff’s Department launched an investigation, and within hours, authorities identified a suspect. Later that same day, police arrested Andrew Quintana Martinez, a 22-year-old resident of Coachella, in the nearby city of Indio. Investigators confirmed that they were not seeking any other suspects in connection with the killing. Law enforcement officials did not provide a motive for the shooting.

Martinez was booked into the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta, where he was held in lieu of $1 million bail. At the time of his arrest, court records showed he had four other active cases involving charges such as battery, kidnapping, and possession of a firearm. On June 7, Martinez was formally arraigned at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. He pleaded not guilty to one felony count of murder and two felony counts of assault with a gun.

Following his arraignment, a hearing was scheduled for June 14, 2022, for the court to determine if there was enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial. As of June 2022, the case was proceeding through the court system. Anyone with information about the shooting was urged to contact Investigator Anderson of the sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit at 951-955-2777 or Investigator Glasper of the Thermal Station at 760-863-8990.