An argument between two residents of an East County independent-living facility escalated early Thursday into an assault that left one of them dead and the other under arrest, authorities reported.
The violence at the group home in the 1200 block of Naranca Avenue in El Cajon was reported shortly before 5 a.m., according to police.
Patrol officers arrived to find a man in a bedroom at the residence, badly injured by blows to his head and face, said Lt. Walt Miller. Medics took the victim to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His name was withheld pending family notification.
The suspected assailant, 25-year-old Brad Masaru Payton, was taken into custody without incident, according to police.
“Based upon the (preliminary) investigation … it is believed the suspect and victim knew each other and lived in separate rooms within the facility,” Miller said. “Witnesses told investigators the two were arguing for unknown reasons just prior to the suspect attacking the victim with a blunt object.”
The reason for the fight was unclear. The makeshift weapon that killed the victim was a frying pan, according to broadcast reports.
Payton was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of murder. He was being held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Monday.
Updated at 5:45 p.m. Dec. 20, 2018
— City News Service
