On May 26, 2024, at approximately 5:32 p.m., Ryan White, a 43-year-old resident of San Diego County, was fatally shot while seated in a parked vehicle on Neer Street in Homeland, California. Upon arrival, Riverside County Sheriff's deputies discovered White suffering from a gunshot wound. He was promptly transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
At the scene, deputies detained 40-year-old Homeland resident Benjamin Joshua Velez Jr., who also required medical attention for a minor injury. After receiving treatment, Velez was arrested on suspicion of murder and booked into the Riverside County Jail with bail set at $1 million. Authorities have not disclosed the nature of the relationship between White and Velez or the motive behind the shooting.
Court records indicate that Velez has prior felony convictions for forgery and possession of controlled substances for sale. He was on probation at the time of the incident. On June 17, 2024, Velez pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, probation violations, and sentence-enhancing allegations related to the use of a firearm and infliction of great bodily injury. A felony settlement conference was scheduled for October 10, 2024, at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department's Central Homicide Unit continues to investigate the case. They have urged anyone with information to contact Investigator K. Farag at 951-955-2777 or Investigator Tochtrop at the Perris Sheriff's Station at 760-836-1600.
