Nov. 26 (UPI) — A man in Southern California charged with felony manslaughter for shooting and killing a homeless man captured the incident on video, according to the Orange County district attorney.
Craig Sumner Elliott, 68, was jogging with his two dogs in Garden Grove, California September 28th when he came across Antonio Garcia Avalos, 40, sleeping in the middle of the sidewalk.
Avalos had a push cart with him and Elliot used it to wake Avalos up so he and his dogs could get by. When Avalos woke up, he started yelling at Elliot to get away from him, according to a news release from the district attorney’s office.
Avalos threw a shoe at Elliot, who is then accused and seen on video that he took, of grabbing a handgun from Avalos’ push cart and shooting him three times. Avalos later died of his injuries.
“This is a tragic set of circumstances that unfolded in the worst possible way over a minor inconvenience of a blocked sidewalk, and a man is dead as a result,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said after the shooting incident. “This case is a stark reminder that taking the law into your own hands is never the answer and that there are consequences for your actions.”
Elliott was charged with felony voluntary manslaughter and felony enhancement of personal use of a firearm.
Elliott had an active concealed carry permit from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department when the shooting happened, the district attorney’s office said.
The Garden Grove Police Department arrested Elliot on a warrant on November 17, and he was released after posting a $100,000 bail on November 20. Elliot is scheduled to be arraigned on December 15.
He faces a maximum sentence of 21 years in state prison, according to the district attorney.
