Suspect arrested in California movie theater shooting

Authorities announced Wednesday that they had arrested a suspected gunman in a shooting at a California theater late Monday that killed one young adult and seriously injured another. 

The Corona Police Department identified the suspect as 20-year-old Joseph Jimenez, who authorities were able to locate based on witness statements gathered following the shooting at a local Regal Cinemas theater. 

The department said that officers conducted a search of the suspect’s home, where they located a firearm matching the caliber of the weapon believed to have been used in Monday’s shooting, as well as “additional evidence related to the crime scene.” 

Police had said Tuesday that detectives did not find a weapon at the crime scene, though they “recovered items of evidentiary value.” 

Two young adults who attended the film screening together, 18-year-old Rylee Goodrich and 19-year-old Anthony Barajas, were found with gunshot wounds late Monday as officers responded to a report of an incident in the city located about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles. 

The department said that Goodrich was pronounced dead at the scene, while Barajas was transported to the hospital with “life-threatening injuries.” 

Corona police said Wednesday that Barajas’s condition “remains unchanged.” 

Police said that authorities have not identified a motive for the attack, adding that the shooting appeared to have been “unprovoked.” 

Jimenez was booked at the Riverside Presley Detention Center on charges of murder, attempted murder and robbery, with bail set at $2 million, according to the police department. 

Police are asking that anyone with any other relevant information on the shooting contact the department’s anonymous tip line.

Regal Cinemas has said that it is working with local authorities to assist in the investigation. 

The two young adults had attended the theater for a showing of “The Forever Purge,” the fifth installment of the “Purge” film franchise, which centers around an annual ritual in which all crime is legal for a 12-hour period. 

Police had said Tuesday that a total of six tickets had been sold for the showing, though it was not clear Wednesday whether Jimenez had purchased one of them.