Elias Victor Marcell Brooks, a 22-year-old man from Victorville, was shot in a residential neighborhood on Sunday afternoon, March 29, 2026, in the 13000 block of Starshine Drive near Eugene Road. Deputies with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department were called to the area just after 3:30 p.m. after reports of gunfire, and when they arrived, they found Brooks suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital as the investigation first unfolded as an attempted murder case.
Brooks remained hospitalized after the shooting, but his injuries were too severe. Authorities later said he was pronounced dead at 10:10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. After his death, the case was reclassified as a homicide and taken over by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Specialized Investigations Division, Homicide Detail.
In the first hours after the shooting, the suspect was not in custody. Sheriff’s officials said the person responsible had fled before deputies arrived, and investigators did not immediately release a suspect description, motive, or detailed explanation of what led up to the gunfire. Crime scene tape stretched around the home and nearby properties while investigators processed the area, and Starshine Drive was shut down between Amethyst Road and Helena Drive as the scene remained active.
The case took another disturbing turn just days later. At about 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 2, 2026, authorities were called back to the same Starshine Drive home connected to the shooting after a structure fire broke out. The fire was investigated as arson under California Penal Code 451, malicious fire setting. No one was inside the home at the time, and no people were injured, but two family dogs died in the blaze. Investigators did not publicly confirm whether the fire was connected to Brooks’ killing, and no arrests were reported in the arson investigation.
On Friday, April 3, 2026, investigators identified a suspect in Brooks’ killing as 18-year-old Michael Christopher Gallardo of Fontana. Gallardo turned himself in at the Upland Police Department during the early morning hours and was taken into custody. He was booked on suspicion of murder in connection with Brooks’ death and was reported to be held without bail at the West Valley Detention Center.
Authorities said the investigation remained ongoing after Gallardo’s arrest. Public reports did not provide a clear motive, did not describe the relationship, if any, between Brooks and Gallardo, and did not release further details about the circumstances that led to the shooting. Gallardo’s initial court appearance was reported as scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in the Victorville branch of San Bernardino County Superior Court, but no public reports located provided trial, plea, or conviction details.
