Two men accused in the shooting death of a man outside a Miramar bar pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony charges.
Damani Jerry Wiltshire-Beal, 22, is charged with murder and Samuel Victor Perez, 23, as an accessory after the fact in Saturday’s killing of Kyle Delangel, 37, of National City.
Prosecutors allege Wiltshire-Beal, an active-duty Marine, shot Delangel multiple times in the parking lot of Off Base Bar, while Perez, a former Marine, is accused of driving Wiltshire-Beal from the scene.
San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Lynn Crum said in court that both men got into an argument in the parking lot with several women at around 2 a.m. The women then went into the bar and told employees and other patrons about the altercation, leading Delangel to confront the defendants, the prosecutor said.
Perez allegedly tried to pull away, but Delangel stepped in front of the vehicle, then tried to punch the driver. Crum said Wiltshire-Beal then shot four times at the victim. Delangel was taken to a hospital to undergo emergency surgery, but he later died.
According to the prosecutor, Perez then drove to Petco Park, where the pair separated, leaving the vehicle behind with the murder weapon inside.
Both men were arrested separately at their residences later that day.
Wiltshire-Beal remains in jail, without bail following Thursday’s arraignment, but San Diego Superior Court Judge Laura Halgren granted supervised release for Perez.
The prosecution had sought $100,000 bail for Perez, arguing that despite both men living near the bar, he drove them downtown. She also alleged that the men separated in a bid to avoid detection and that Perez changed his appearance by shaving his beard shortly after the shooting.
Perez’s attorney, Stefano Molea, said his client is a disabled veteran who was honorably discharged and has no prior criminal history. Molea also said Perez may have been fearful for his own safety when he drove away, after his passenger allegedly fired a gun.
– City News Service
