Michael Gordon, a 32-year-old resident of Banning, California, tragically lost his life on January 16, 2017, in a drive-by shooting. The incident occurred around noon in the 1200 block of Wyte Way. According to witness accounts, Ronald Dean Ricks, a 31-year-old Cathedral City resident, was seen driving a white Dodge Ram pickup truck past the home where Gordon was present. Ricks allegedly stopped the truck, smiled at a witness, and then fired three gunshots.
Gordon, in an attempt to protect the witness, pushed her out of the way but was struck by the bullets and died at the scene. The motive behind the shooting was reportedly jealousy, as Ricks believed Gordon had been involved with his girlfriend.
Following the incident, Ricks was identified as a person of interest and turned himself in at the San Jacinto sheriff's station about a week later. Initially, he was booked on an unrelated offense due to insufficient evidence. However, further investigation revealed Ricks' fingerprints on the truck and gunshot residue on the driver's side window frame. Additionally, Ricks' girlfriend made incriminating statements while in custody, comparing the killing to "killing a cat." These pieces of evidence led to Ricks being charged with murder and discharging a firearm from a vehicle.
The legal proceedings culminated in August 2023, when a jury found Ricks guilty of first-degree murder. The jury also upheld a special-circumstance allegation of discharging a firearm from a vehicle and a sentence-enhancing allegation of discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury. The prosecution argued that Ricks' actions were driven by jealousy after learning that his girlfriend had been at a casino with Gordon. Despite the defense's attempts to cast doubt on the identification of Ricks as the shooter, the jury concluded that the evidence overwhelmingly pointed to his guilt. Ricks is set to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
