A man accused of shooting his girlfriend in the back in their San Carlos apartment as she was shielding their baby in her arms and standing near her 5-year-old son was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on murder and child abuse charges.
After a two-day preliminary hearing, Judge Joan Weber ruled that enough evidence was presented for 32-year-old Roderick Lamar Harris to stand trial for the death last Oct. 12 of Vanessa Bobo. The defendant faces life in prison if convicted.
Neighbor Bryan Fields testified that he was watching television just after midnight when he started hearing noises and heard a woman yell for help.
The witness said he saw the 29-year-old Bobo and Harris on a patio, but the defendant forced the victim back inside their apartment.
Fields testified that he thought the incident was over, but then heard three gunshots and heard the defendant slam the door and leave the apartment on Lake Arrowhead Drive.
As he was getting off the phone with police, Fields said he heard a child scream and went to the couple’s front door. Fields said he opened the door and saw a baby on the couch and the 5-year-old standing there.
“I heard the (5-year-old) son say his dad killed his mom,” the witness testified.
Deputy District Attorney Lindsey Carinci alleged that Harris — a security guard and an avid shooter — retrieved a .357 Magnum and followed the victim into her 5-year-old son’s bedroom.
Bobo tried to shield their 11-month-old son from the defendant, but Harris fired, with one shot striking her in the back, severing her spinal cord and causing her to drop the baby, Carinci alleged. Neither child was injured.
Harris — who had been dating Bobo for about four years — fled after the shooting, but was arrested in the South Bay about 12 hours later.
A number of firearms were recovered from the couple’s apartment, the prosecutor said.
A Superior Court arraignment was scheduled for May 3.
–City News Service
