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California jogger charged after filming himself fatally shooting a homeless man blocking a sidewalk
Craig Sumner Elliott was reportedlt charged with felony voluntary manslaughter and felony enhancement of personal use of a firearm
A Southern California jogger has been charged after filming himself shooting a homeless man, who blocked a sidewalk, dead. According to a news release from the district attorney’s office, 68-year-old Craig Sumner Elliott was jogging in the afternoon of September 28 with his two dogs in Garden Grove, California. On his way, he encountered 40-year-old Antonio García Avalos, sleeping on the sidewalk.
Elliot reportedly pushed Avalos with a pushcart to wake him up, and the homeless man began yelling at Elliot to move away. Elliot then took out a handgun from his pushcart and fatally shot Avalos.
“Elliott is accused of recording Avalos and grabbing a handgun from his pushcart. Elliott had an active concealed carry permit issued by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at the time of the shooting,” the release said. “Video taken by Elliott captured Avalos standing up and throwing a shoe at Elliot, who ducks to avoid the shoe and shoots Avalos three times. Avalos later died from his injuries.”
It added, “Elliott was arrested on a warrant on Friday, November 17, 2023 by the Garden Grove Police Department. He was released from custody after posting $100,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on December 15, 2023 at the Stephen K. Tamura Justice Center in Westminster in Department W12.”
Elliot was charged with felony voluntary manslaughter and felony enhancement of personal use of a firearm, CNN reported.
“This is a tragic set of circumstances that unfolded in the worst possible way over a minor inconvenience of a blocked sidewalk, and a man is dead as a result,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “This case is a stark reminder that taking the law into your own hands is never the answer and that there are consequences for your actions.”
