A jury found a Richmond man guilty of first-degree murder today for a shooting that killed another man outside a nightclub near San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf in 2010.
Keandre Davis, 22, was accused of fatally shooting 19-year-old Lawon Hall outside Club Suede at 383 Bay St. on Feb. 7, 2010. Three other people were injured in the shooting.
A San Francisco Superior Court jury late this morning found Davis guilty of first-degree murder and also found true a special allegation involving the use of a firearm, district attorney’s office spokesman Alex Bastian said.
Prosecutors said Davis and another suspect cornered Hall as he was leaving the club and shot at him more than a dozen times.
Davis was arrested after a patrol special officer, Robert Burns, witnessed the shooting and shot and detained him.
Assistant District Attorney Diana Garcia said in her closing argument last week that Davis’ DNA was found on the grip of a handgun found near where he was detained and that bullet fragments found in Hall’s body matched bullets shot from the gun.
Deputy Public Defender Steve Olmo, who represented Davis, said in his closing argument that Davis and Hall were longtime family friends with no feud, and said that Burns, the patrol special officer, misidentified Davis as the shooter.
A man suspected of being the second shooter was arrested in the days after Hall’s death but prosecutors declined to file charges against him.
The jury had begun deliberating after receiving the case late Thursday afternoon. They continued through the day Monday after taking Friday off.
“People come from around the world to enjoy San Francisco’s vibrant nightlife,” District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement. “This verdict sends a powerful message that we will not tolerate violent behavior at our entertainment establishments.”
A sentencing date has not yet been set for Davis, who faces 50 years to life in prison.
After the shooting, a judge ordered Club Suede permanently closed.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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