A man allegedly involved in a gang shooting in Encanto almost 15 years ago pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and attempted murder charges.
Enrique Palomino, 37, was ordered held on $1 million bail.
The defendant was already in jail in an unrelated DUI case when he was charged last week in the Jan. 28, 2001, shooting death of 19-year-old Alexander Ceballos of Imperial Beach and the wounding of Edgar Morgado.
Early that evening, Ceballos and Morgado visited a woman at a home on Merlin Drive, near 60th Street, according to investigators. As Morgado was talking to the woman, her ex-boyfriend arrived, confronted Morgado, and got into an argument with him.
Morgado decided to leave and was walking back to Ceballos’ car when two youths standing nearby shouted out a gang name, police said. Morgado turned and asked the pair — who appeared to be in their mid- to late teens — what they had said.
One replied, “This is what’s up,” and started shooting, police said.
Morgado jumped into the car, wounded. Ceballos tried to drive away but was struck by gunfire and lost control of the vehicle, which crashed into a nearby building. Ceballos died at a hospital three days later. Morgado survived his injuries.
Police were unable to identify any suspects in the killing until recently, when cold-case detectives uncovered evidence linking Palomino to the shooting, according to SDPD Sgt. Manuel Del Toro.
Del Toro declined to reveal what led police to Palomino or disclose the suspect’s alleged role in the homicide.
Palomino will be back in court Oct. 19 for a status conference. A preliminary hearing was set for Oct. 26.
— City News Service
