A man accused of gunning down a 44-year-old Indio resident during a confrontation on the east end of the city pleaded not guilty Friday to first-degree murder and other charges.

Efren David Bracamonte, 21, was arrested Wednesday following a years-long investigation by the Indio Police Department.

Along with murder, Bracamonte was charged with sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

He pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Friday before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Dean Benjamini, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Sept. 23 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

Bracamonte was being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

His co-defendant, 21-year-old Isaac Anthony Martinez, who was charged separately as an

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