Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin on Friday announced the filing of charges against 20-year-old Joseph Jimenez of Corona. Jimenez is accused of shooting two people in a Corona movie theater earlier this week, killing one of the victims.
Jimenez has been charged with one count of murder with a sentencing enhancement of personal use of a firearm causing death, one count of attempted murder with a sentencing enhancement of personally inflicting great bodily injury, and a sentencing enhancement of personal use of a firearm causing great bodily injury. The DA’s Office also filed a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait.
On July 26, the victims, 18-year-old Rylee Goodrich and 19-year-old Anthony Barajas, both of Corona, attended the 9:35 p.m. showing of a movie at the Regal Edwards Theatre at the Corona at Crossings Shopping Center.
After the movie ended, theater employees went to clean the auditorium and made the discovery that the two victims had been shot in the head. Goodrich was pronounced dead at the scene, Barajas was taken to a nearby hospital where he remains on life support.
The DA’s Division of Victim Services is working closely with the families of both victims and is also assisting Rylee’s family to provide funeral expenses through the California Victim Compensation Board.
No motive for the shootings is being released at this time and there was no known connection between the victims and Jimenez. “Based on the evidence provided, this appears to be a random and unprovoked attack,” said the DA.
Corona police detectives were able to identify Jimenez as a potential suspect in the shootings. Detectives served a search warrant in the 19000 block of Envoy Avenue in El Cerrito where detectives found and seized a handgun of the same caliber as the weapon used in the shooting. Jimenez was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility where he is being held without the possibility of bail.
