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, 49, of Palmdale, were taken into custody last Friday by Los Angeles police following a lengthy 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.
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.