Two men have been arrested and charged in connection with the shooting death of a diner in what authorities say was an apparently targeted attack last November at a restaurant at L.A. Live, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Thursday.
Phillip Pasco Clark, 33, of Los Angeles, and Santana Jermaine Kelly, 50, of Palmdale, were taken into custody last Friday by Los Angeles police following a nearly four-month investigation into the Nov. 28 slaying of Sidney Barrett Morris in the Fixins Soul Kitchen at 800 W. Olympic Blvd., authorities said.
Clark allegedly walked into the restaurant and straight up to the 43-year-old victim as he ate at the counter and fatally shot him at about 6:15 p.m. that night, then fled in a vehicle driven by a person whose identity has not been determined, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Kelly allegedly helped to plan the killing and provided supplies and support and allegedly set fire to the getaway vehicle a day later in an attempt to destroy evidence, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief Blake Chow told reporters at a news conference that “all indications are that Mr. Morris was targeted as a victim, not the victim of (a) random act of violence.”
He noted that the killing “shocked the community and instilled fear in our residents and visitors that such a brutal and calculated murder could happen in such a public place.” But Chow said he wanted to “assure the public that they are safe to gather and dine at L.A. Live and other public venues across the city.”
Chow said the arrests stemmed from “some really good high-tech investigative techniques, as well as just some good, old-fashioned detective work.”
Scot Williams, the commanding officer of the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division, said investigators “haven’t established a connection between Mr. Morris and the suspects in this case,” and are continuing to go through “a bunch of leads and evidence to try to figure out exactly why this happened.”
He noted that investigators had faced challenges, including Clark allegedly being “covered almost completely from head to toe” when he entered the restaurant.
“So it didn’t really lend itself to any sort of … video that would have allowed us to identify him … based upon facial features,” Williams said. “We had to resort to some other investigative techniques which I’m not going to go into detail about today to identify him and his involvement.”
Williams said investigators are “still following up on leads to identify others who may have been involved in this crime.”
Clark and Kelly are each charged with one count of murder and conspiracy to commit a crime, while Kelly is also facing a count of arson of the property of another.
The two pleaded not guilty Tuesday and are due back in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom April 25. A date is scheduled to be set then for a hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against them to proceed to trial.
If convicted as charged, both men could face potential life prison terms, according to the District Attorney’s Office.