A probationer who allegedly gunned down a Riverside man in an unexplained attack, then attempted unsuccessfully to flee from police has been charged with murder and is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Monday.
Timothy James Karno, 28, was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, where he’s being held in lieu of $1 million bail.
Along with murder, Karno is charged with sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations, as well as probation violations. He’s slated to make his initial court appearance at the Riverside Hall of Justice Monday morning.
According to Riverside police Officer Ryan Railsback, Karno went to the home of 34-year-old Alfredo Cena on Corwin Lane, near Philbin Avenue, and confronted him for unspecified reasons about 6:20 p.m. Tuesday. During a heated exchange, the defendant pulled a handgun and shot Cena in front of his home, Railsback alleged.
Karno fled south, less than a block a way, to his residence in the 5600 block of Ellen Street, where he fired his gun again for no apparent reason, Railsback said. By the time patrol officers reached the area, Cena had been driven by friends to Parkview Community Hospital less than a mile away, he said.
The victim died in the emergency room.
Detectives canvassed the area and contacted witnesses, determining that Karno was the alleged shooter, according to Railsback.
Officers converged on the Karno’s residence an hour later, and when they appeared at his door, he jumped through a glass window and attempted to run away but was quickly apprehended without further incident, Railsback said.
Karno was not injured, nor were any officers.
The gun allegedly used in the attack was recovered from a property adjacent to Karno’s house, Railsback said.
According to court records, the defendant has prior convictions for battery and violation of a domestic violence restraining order, both misdemeanors.
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