Henry Steven Waters Jr., a 20-year-old resident of Banning, California, tragically lost his life on February 9, 2017. In the early hours of that day, at approximately 3:07 a.m., officers from the Banning Police Department responded to reports of gunshots in the 1000 Block of North Hargrave Street. Upon arrival, they discovered Waters' body, which had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The initial investigation by Banning Police Detectives involved processing the crime scene and conducting several interviews, but the case eventually went cold due to a lack of leads.
In 2019, the Banning Police Department's Detective Bureau revisited the case, reviewing evidence from other crime scenes and identifying similarities that linked Waters' murder to other criminal activities in and around Banning. This renewed investigation led to the identification of two suspects: Jose Verdusco Jr. and Samuel Vasquez, both residents of Banning. On May 3, 2021, Verdusco and Vasquez were formally charged with the murder of Henry Steven Waters Jr. According to the investigation, on the night of the murder, Waters was walking with a friend when a vehicle approached them. Verdusco and Vasquez exited the vehicle and opened fire, killing Waters and attempting to shoot his friend, who managed to escape and hide.
The arrests of Verdusco and Vasquez marked a significant breakthrough in the case. Further investigation revealed that Vasquez was also involved in the murder of another individual, Charles Neazer, in 2015, as well as the attempted murders of seven other people in separate incidents in 2017. Vasquez was found guilty on all counts by a Riverside County jury on January 25, 2023, and faces a potential life sentence without the possibility of parole. The case against Verdusco is still ongoing, with updates pending from the Riverside County District Attorney's office.
The Banning Police Department's efforts to solve this case were bolstered by an increase in detective staffing, which allowed for more thorough investigations of cold cases. The department's commitment to justice for Henry Steven Waters Jr. and other victims of violent crime in the community has been a driving force behind these arrests and subsequent legal proceedings.
