Homicide investigation underway in north Palm Springs cause of road closures
The Palm Springs Police Department said it is investigating the death of a driver whose vehicle hit a power pole in Desert Highland Gateway Estates Friday night as a homicide.
According to a press release, the department received a call of traffic collision in the area of Rosa Parks Road and Granada Avenue around 6:30 p.m. Friday. When officers arrived, they found a vehicle that had struck a power pole, causing the entire neighborhood to lose power.
At 6:29 p.m. Friday, Southern California Edison reported an outage impacting 165 customers in Desert Highland Gateway Estates and cited a traffic accident as the cause. At 7:49 a.m. Saturday, Palm Springs Police reported the roadway will remain closed for the duration of the day. Authorities later said that the road could be opened as soon as 2 p.m. Saturday.
Investigators later determined the driver is a victim of homicide.
Lt. William Hutchinson said Saturday that the deceased's identity has not yet been released publicly. He added, however, that it was a 45-year-old man who was not a resident of Palm Springs. He was found in the vehicle with a gunshot wound, but it is not yet known if he was fatally shot or died from the impact of the collision.
The Palm Springs Police Department Crimes Against Persons unit, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Coroner’s Bureau and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office are now investigating the incident.
Homicide Investigation underway in the area of Rosa Parks and Granada Ave. Details here: https://t.co/YuOQusQceE @KESQ @NBCPalmSprings @MyDesert @palmspringspost @UkenReport @RivCoDA @RSO @ChiefAndyMills @CityofPS pic.twitter.com/jDpbSFTNnC
— Palm Springs PD (@PalmSpringsPD) February 26, 2022
Police reported at 6:50 p.m. that Rosa Parks Road between El Dorado Boulevard and Eastgate Road, as well as Granada Avenue between Rosa Parks Road and Sunview Avenue, were closed because of the incident and resulting investigation. Those roads have yet to reopen.
Location:Rosa Parks Between El Dorado and Eastgate as well as Granada Between Rosa Parks and Sunview
Date: 02-25-2022
Time: 19:50:02
Details: The above roads are closed due to police activity. https://t.co/FegnxxG7Xn— Palm Springs PD (@PalmSpringsPD) February 26, 2022
This is the second homicide investigation to take place on Rosa Parks Road in the past week. On Monday, Palm Springs Police deemed Saturday's "suspicious death" in the 600 block of Rosa Parks Road a homicide.
Police have not released any more information about that death, including information about the victim or any suspects.
This is a developing story.
Desert Sun reporters Christopher Damien and Paul Albani-Burgio contributed to this report.
Niki Kottmann writes and edits features for The Desert Sun. Reach out on Twitter at @niki_mariee.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Homicide investigation closes Rosa Parks Road, Granada Avenue
