Toddler Killed In Shooting Suffered Gunshot Wound To Her Head

A 2-year-old girl who was fatally shot -- along with her father -- in Palm Desert suffered of a gunshot wound to the head and leg, a sheriff's official said Saturday.

Juan Carlos Alcala was booked into the Indio Jail at 3:42 a.m. Saturday on suspicion two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, according to Corp. Courtney Donowho of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

He is accused in the deaths of 24-year-old Felipe Lozano and his 2-year-old daughter, Doria Lozano-Reynoso. Afra Lozano, 43, was struck twice in the leg, but was treated and released from a hospital.

Alcala was arrested shortly after the shooting Friday at the Hovely Gardens condominiums on 42nd Avenue west of Cook Street, Donowho said.

Lozano was pronounced dead at the scene inside the condo, Donowho said, adding that the extent of his injuries would not be available until after an autopsy was completed.

Doria, or "Zoe," was pronounced dead at 10:08 p.m. Friday at Loma Linda University Medical Center. She suffered a single gunshot wound to the head and one to her leg, the corporal said.

"It was a terrible tragedy and it devastated this family,'' Donowho told Patch. "It was a shocking crime."

The incident “stemmed from a dispute between neighbors,’’ Donowho said.

Fabian Lozano, whose parent's own the condo where the shooting occurred, said he believed his brother was playing with his daughter when the shooting occurred.

He alleged that his neighbor had threatened his brother Thursday, prompting the family to call the police.

"He keyed my brother's car. He threatened my brother's life in front of the cops,'' Lozano said. "He's our neighbor. We never did anything to him. We don't know why he took it so far."

Alcala was being held in lieu of $1 million at the Indio Jail. He will likely appear in court early next week for arraignment.

This is the first homicide in Palm Desert since Black Friday in 2008, when two men fatally shot eachother in the Toys "R" Us on Fred Waring Drive near Highway 111.