A man was charged Friday with murdering an off-duty security guard who was shot during an altercation outside a Hawthorne restaurant.
Darryl Deshon Fletcher, 54, pleaded not guilty to one count each of murder, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of ammunition prohibited under a prior conviction in connection with Wednesday’s killing of Eddie McAllister, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Hawthorne police were called at 2:09 a.m. Wednesday to Fabulous Charbroiled Burgers at 3301 Rosecrans Ave., where witnesses told them McAllister had been shot in the restaurant’s parking lot during a fight, according to police and reports from the scene.
“Upon arrival, officers located one adult male suffering from a gunshot wound,” police said in a statement. “Officers and Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel attempted life saving measures but the victim was ultimately pronounced deceased at the scene.”
The victim was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner’s Office as a 57-year-old Lawndale resident.
Videotape shows a confrontation in which several punches were exchanged before the gunfire.
“Based on statements and evidence collected at the scene, Hawthorne officers and detectives were able to quickly identify a possible suspect,” the police statement said. “That suspect was tracked to a nearby location in a neighboring city. At that location, the suspect was safely taken into custody without incident.”
Fletcher has remained behind bars since then, according to jail records.
McAllister’s family said he had stopped to get takeout food after getting off work as an unarmed security guard.
“Everybody loves him wherever he goes,” the victim’s daughter, Emani McAllister, said.
Family members told Fox 11 that McAllister was the father of four children.
Fletcher is due back in a Los Angeles courtroom Feb. 21. A date is scheduled to be set then for a hearing at which a judge will be asked to determine whether there is enough evidence to allow the case to proceed to trial.