A 59-year-old Yucca Valley man was cuffed for attempted murder after allegedly shooting at another man and then holing up inside his home during a tense stand-off with cops last Friday, law enforcement said. Kevin Armstrong is accused of firing shots at a 55-year-old male around 7:36 p.m. in the 3000 block of Inez Avenue before barricading himself in the primary residence on the property, the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department reported.
Members from the Morongo Basin Sheriff's Station first on the scene were soon joined by the Specialized Enforcement Division (SED), a tactical unit dispatched due to the call's exigent circumstances. After the victim, stuck on the property, was secured by SED, attempts were made to serve arrest and search warrants, as Armstrong reportedly took shots at these SED officers several times during the standoff. In the chaos, crisis negotiators were brought in to reason with Armstrong, aiming to de-escalate the high-stakes situation. The strategy paid off when Armstrong later surrendered and exited the house without further incident, the Sheriff's Department confirmed.
Armstrong was taken to the Morongo Basin Jail and booked for attempted murder, facing a hefty bail set at $1,000,000.00. Authorities have not commented on the motive behind the shooting or the current condition of the unnamed victim. However, the department has issued a press release seeking additional information from the community. They've encouraged anyone with insights into the incident to contact Detective Antonio Alcala at the Morongo Basin Station or to remain anonymous by reaching out to We-Tip.
San Bernardino's top cop, Sheriff-Coroner Shannon D. Dicus, oversees a department determined to protect and serve in these scenarios, fraught with potential for greater tragedy. Armstrong's swift arrest serves as a sobering reminder of the risks law enforcement faces daily and the violence that often lays hidden within quiet communities. The investigation continues as deputies delve deeper into the events that led to this dramatic confrontation on Inez Avenue.
