Suspect Joseph Jimenez Arrested In Corona Movie Theater Shooting Which Left Woman Dead, Man Wounded
CORONA (CBSLA) – A suspect has been arrested in connection with a shooting inside a Corona movie theater which left one woman dead and a man critically wounded.
Twenty-year-old Joseph Jimenez was taken into custody late Tuesday night on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and robbery in the shooting that killed 18-year-old Rylee Goodrich and wounded 19-year-old Anthony Barajas, Corona police reported Wednesday morning.
"Thank God they got him," said Ken Mendoza, the suspect's next-door neighbor. "I can't imagine having a guy like that living next door to us."
At about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Corona police detectives raided Jimenez's residence in the 19000 block of Envoy Avenue in El Cerrito, where they found a gun and evidence linked to the movie theater shooting, the department said. The gun matched the caliber of the weapon used in the shooting.
"The guy seemed he seemed a little off," added Mendoza. "My son detected something strange about that guy."
They later found and arrested Jimenez himself. There is no evidence that the suspect knew the victims. At this time, police do not have a motive in the attack.
"We have determined that he acted alone in this murder...We do not have a motive for this heinous, unprovoked crime. And there's no information the suspect and victims had any prior contact before these crimes took place," Cpl. Tobias Kouroubacalis said at a Wednesday morning news conference.
Police said employees found the two victims while cleaning the theater following the 9:30 p.m. Monday showing of "The Forever Purge," at the Regal Edwards Corona Crossings movie theater. There were only six people in the screening when the shooting occurred.
"During the actual movie time, no one apparently heard the gunshot," Kailyn Dillon, an employee who was not working at the time, told CBSLA Tuesday. "I know that we do have security bag checks that we do on the daily and, unfortunately, I'm not sure if just was missed or if it was in a holster on their belt."
Barajas is a popular TikTok personality with nearly 1 million followers, and Goodrich was home on summer break from Grand Canyon University in Arizona.
Jimenez is being held at the Riverside Presley Detention Center on $2 million bail.