A jury was seated Monday in the trial of a felon accused of fatally shooting a 25-year-old acquaintance during an altercation outside a Riverside hookah bar.
Kevin Alfredo Hernandez, 26, of San Bernardino, allegedly killed Jose Rondan, also of San Bernardino, in the parking lot of the University Lounge at 1345 University Ave. in 2021.
Hernandez is charged with murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
After screening prospects on Thursday and Friday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Charles Koosed swore in a jury Monday morning at the Riverside Hall of Justice. The prosecution and defense then proceeded with opening statements.
Trial testimony is expected to last all week.
Hernandez is being held on $1 million bail at the nearby Robert Presley Jail.
During the defendant’s preliminary hearing in March 2022, Riverside police Detective Joshua Ontko testified that Hernandez had gone to the University Lounge with Rondan and the victim’s girlfriend, whose name was not disclosed, on the night of March 13, 2021.
The trio connected with a few friends in the hookah bar, then left in the woman’s car to buy alcohol, returning to the bar a short time later, when it was about 1 a.m. March 14, according to the detective.
He testified they remained in the woman’s vehicle to drink, but an argument erupted when she misplaced her keys, leading to Rondan and Hernandez exiting the sedan yelling at one another.
The verbal exchange escalated into a physical altercation, with Rondan knocking Hernandez to the ground between two cars and punching him in the face several times, according to Ontko.
“Mr. Hernandez told us that Jose started choking him, to the point that he almost passed out,” the detective testified. “He finally stands up, and Jose starts to walk away. He said that he called to Jose, `Hey,’ and when Jose turned to face him, Mr. Hernandez pulled his gun and shot him.”
Rondan suffered three 9mm bullet wounds to the chest, dying on the spot.
Ontko testified the defendant admitted opening fire “because he was pissed.”
He ran northbound to a nearby strip mall along Interstate 215, where he was apprehended less than an hour later.
No one else was injured.
Hernandez has prior felony convictions in another jurisdiction, but they weren’t listed in court documents.