A man accused of shooting a San Diego police officer has pleaded not guilty

The man accused of shooting a San Diego police officer in a chase last week pleaded not guilty Friday to attempted murder and other charges. JC Blake Sartor could face life in prison if convicted in the June 8 shooting that sparked a six-day manhunt for the suspect.

The shooting happened in front of the library in the city center. It was part of a larger standoff that ended with the suspect hiding in a vacant townhouse.

Jesse Gomez

The man accused of shooting a San Diego police officer made his first court appearance. JC Blake Sartor is charged with assaulting a peace officer with a semi-automatic firearm, shooting into an occupied home and stealing a vehicle.

He appeared via video conference and pleaded not guilty to all charges. The prosecutor says he took the backpack and went to the downtown library to get the owner’s car keys out of it. The owner caught up with him and asked for the backpack back, he says.

Gomez then fired at the officer’s partner, wounding him. He was later found in a ravine and arrested. He faces the death penalty. Irwin testified that he saw the car stop and when it stopped, the driver got out and asked him, “Where are you from?” He said in his experience growing up in Shelltown, this was a common challenge to gangs and he opened fire thinking they were law enforcement.

Prosecutors

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A 30-year-old man accused of shooting a police officer during a foot chase in City Heights last week pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and other charges Friday. JC Blake Sartor could face up to life in prison if convicted on all charges. During the trial he spoke only to confirm his name and that he wanted to serve on the jury.

Deputy District Attorney Valerie Summers told jurors that Gomez was armed and shot Officer Jonathan De Guzman, who died at a hospital after suffering gunshot wounds to the head and throat. She said forensic evidence, including a bullet found in the ravine, gunshot residue on Irwin’s car and a gun found in Gomez’s home, linked him to the shooting.

Gomez’s attorney, Jessica Petry, said he was unaware police were approaching him on Acacia Grove Road. She said he thought the officers were gang members preparing to kill him in an area rife with gang activity. She said the question Irwin asked, “Where are you from,” is a common gang challenge that usually precedes violence.

Defense

During the trial, JC Blake Sartor pleaded not guilty to 10 counts, including attempted murder of a police officer, assaulting a peace officer with a firearm, shooting into an inhabited building or vehicle and vehicle theft. He also pleaded not guilty to complicity charges for the alleged actions of his two friends, Andrew Barrientos and Gustavo Silva, who helped him flee the scene of the shooting.

The defense team claimed that the mother of a US Navy sailor tasked with delivering sensitive military information to China encouraged her son to work with a Chinese spy because it would help him get a job after leaving the Navy. The mother did not appear in court, so The Associated Press could not reach her to ask about the charges.

The case is the second being filed in connection with the fatal shooting of Officer De Guzman and the wounding of his partner, Officer Wade Irwin. The trial will continue on Tuesday.

Judge

On a hot night in July 2016, San Diego police officers Jonathan De Guzman and Wade Irwin were patrolling the Shelltown neighborhood. They heard the 1199 call on their radio and ran to the scene. Officer De Guzman, 43, was shot and killed. Officer Irwin survived, although the bullet severed a pulmonary artery and fractured his spine.

The jury returned a verdict finding Gomez guilty of murder and claiming special circumstances for killing the police officer, making him eligible for the death penalty. He was also convicted of attempted murder of a police officer and criminal possession of a firearm.

Gomez did not react when the verdict was read. Earlier, his widow gasped and hugged someone sitting next to her in the gallery. Afterwards, she said that the verdict was “a slap in the face to my husband”. The trial continues. The penalty phase will determine whether Gomez receives the death penalty.