Man killed in Soboba shoot-out identified
Posted by Joe Fanaselle at 5/9/2008 8:06 AM and is filed under Hemet,San Jacinto,Fatal,Law Enforcement 
The man killed in an early morning shootout Thursday on the Soboba Indian Reservation has been identified as 26 year old Eli Morillo of San Jacinto. Morillo was a member of the Soboba Tribe and the son of Rosemary Morillo, who served as chairwoman of the Soboba Tribe at one point.
According to Investigator Jerry Franchville with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the incident began after deputies were investigating gunshots heard in the area of Castille Canyon Road and Soboba Road at around 12:15 am on Thursday morning. Shortly after arrival, the officers realized they were under fire from multiple directions. They were able to take cover and were eventually approached by armed gunmen. A fire fight ensued and Morillo was killed. No deputies were injured in the incident and at least two suspects fled the area. Franchville said an AR-15 assault rifle was recovered from Morillo after the shootout.
Police locked down the entire reservation and established a large perimeter while they searched for the remaining suspects. Several people on the reservation were detained while officers combed the area. Transmissions heard on Sheriff's frequencies indicate that the moments after the shooting were very tense, with officers hunkered down in bushes to avoid gunfire. Several officers even used their handguns to shoot out lights so they could better conceal their locations. A Sheriff's helicopter that was circling overhead also had no lights on to avoid being shot at. As of Monday night, the remaining two suspects were still at large and the reservation was still locked down.
This incident is the latest in a surge of shootings involving police on the Soboba Reservation dating back to late last year. In early December of 2007, CHP officers pursued a vehicle onto the Soboba Reservation after the vehicle failed to stop near Interstate 10. During the pursuit, officers exchanged gunfire with the vehicle. On New Years Eve of 2007, occupants of a vehicle being pursued by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department fired shots at the pursuing deputies near Castille Canyon and Soboba Roads. One of the deputies was struck by broken glass from a windshield and received minor injuries. More recently, officers were shot at after pursuing a vehicle near the Soboba Casino on April 15 of this year. No one was injured in that incident.
In addition to the recent officer involved shootings on the Soboba Reservation, the Riverside Press Enterprise reports that at least two more Soboba Tribal Members have been killed by police gunfire in the past decade off of the Reservation. One was killed in Hemet by a Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy after a pursuit on December 28 of last year. In that incident, 26 year old Gordon Davis Arres was shot by the deputy after the deputy said he thought he say Arres draw a gun while running on foot. In the second incident, 27 year old Peter Morillo was shot and killed after a gunfight with police in a home east of Hemet in 2002. Peter Morillo was the brother of Eli Morillo, who is the man killed by police in the incident on Thursday.
The recent surge in crime on the Soboba Indian Reservation is contrary to statistics compiled by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, which indicate that recent crime has dropped on the Reservation. In 2005, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department was contracted to provide extra law enforcement services on the Reservation until 2010. For an unknown reason, the Soboba Tribe terminated the contract unexpectedly in 2006. A fire fighter from the Riverside County Fire Department / Cal Fire's San Jacinto station said that until recently, the department required that all fire personnel couldn't enter the Soboba Reservation for emergencies unless they had a Sheriff escort. That policy was put into place to address safety concerns at the time and has since been lifted..
According to Investigator Jerry Franchville with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the incident began after deputies were investigating gunshots heard in the area of Castille Canyon Road and Soboba Road at around 12:15 am on Thursday morning. Shortly after arrival, the officers realized they were under fire from multiple directions. They were able to take cover and were eventually approached by armed gunmen. A fire fight ensued and Morillo was killed. No deputies were injured in the incident and at least two suspects fled the area. Franchville said an AR-15 assault rifle was recovered from Morillo after the shootout.
Police locked down the entire reservation and established a large perimeter while they searched for the remaining suspects. Several people on the reservation were detained while officers combed the area. Transmissions heard on Sheriff's frequencies indicate that the moments after the shooting were very tense, with officers hunkered down in bushes to avoid gunfire. Several officers even used their handguns to shoot out lights so they could better conceal their locations. A Sheriff's helicopter that was circling overhead also had no lights on to avoid being shot at. As of Monday night, the remaining two suspects were still at large and the reservation was still locked down.
This incident is the latest in a surge of shootings involving police on the Soboba Reservation dating back to late last year. In early December of 2007, CHP officers pursued a vehicle onto the Soboba Reservation after the vehicle failed to stop near Interstate 10. During the pursuit, officers exchanged gunfire with the vehicle. On New Years Eve of 2007, occupants of a vehicle being pursued by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department fired shots at the pursuing deputies near Castille Canyon and Soboba Roads. One of the deputies was struck by broken glass from a windshield and received minor injuries. More recently, officers were shot at after pursuing a vehicle near the Soboba Casino on April 15 of this year. No one was injured in that incident.
In addition to the recent officer involved shootings on the Soboba Reservation, the Riverside Press Enterprise reports that at least two more Soboba Tribal Members have been killed by police gunfire in the past decade off of the Reservation. One was killed in Hemet by a Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy after a pursuit on December 28 of last year. In that incident, 26 year old Gordon Davis Arres was shot by the deputy after the deputy said he thought he say Arres draw a gun while running on foot. In the second incident, 27 year old Peter Morillo was shot and killed after a gunfight with police in a home east of Hemet in 2002. Peter Morillo was the brother of Eli Morillo, who is the man killed by police in the incident on Thursday.
The recent surge in crime on the Soboba Indian Reservation is contrary to statistics compiled by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, which indicate that recent crime has dropped on the Reservation. In 2005, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department was contracted to provide extra law enforcement services on the Reservation until 2010. For an unknown reason, the Soboba Tribe terminated the contract unexpectedly in 2006. A fire fighter from the Riverside County Fire Department / Cal Fire's San Jacinto station said that until recently, the department required that all fire personnel couldn't enter the Soboba Reservation for emergencies unless they had a Sheriff escort. That policy was put into place to address safety concerns at the time and has since been lifted..
RIP Eli Morillo, my deepest sympathy...
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Naturally we hate to see anyone be killed... but when you were firing an automatic weapon at a police officer without provocation, and are killed by that officer defending his life, it is difficult to harbor the same sympathies as you would for someone killed in a car accident.
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