A man accused of opening fire in the Gaslamp Quarter last week, killing a man and injuring four others, pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder, attempted murder and assault charges.
Travis Fereydoun Sarreshteh, 32, is accused in last Thursday's shootings, in which police allege he used an untraceable "ghost gun" to gun down the victims starting at about 10:30 p.m.
He faces up to 126 years to life in state prison if convicted of all charges and remains in custody without bail.
Sarreshteh allegedly first shot 28-year-old parking valet Justice Boldin in front of the Pendry San Diego Hotel in the 500 block of J Street. After opening fire on Boldin, the shooter "began to walk away, but quickly turned and fired again at the victim," Lt. Andra Brown said.
Boldin, an Ace Parking employee who was working at the time, died at the scene.
The assailant then walked off to the north and allegedly confronted a group of men in the 500 block of Fifth Avenue. Brown alleged that Sarreshteh fired on the group, striking four of them.
Sarreshteh was followed by bystanders who tackled him and kept him subdued until officers arrived, Brown said. During his arrest, officers shocked Sarreshteh with an electric stun gun, according to Brown.
A suspected motive for the shootings has not been disclosed. Few additional details regarding the case were shared during Sarreshteh's brief afternoon arraignment, though Deputy District Attorney Jessica Paugh said the shootings were captured entirely on camera and there were more than a dozen witnesses to the gunfire.
Though San Diego police said five people were shot throughout the night, six victims are listed in the criminal complaint.
Among the wounded victims, two of them — Vincent Gazzani, 27, of Perrineville, New Jersey; and 68-year-old Steven Ely of San Diego — suffered gunshot wounds to their upper bodies and were hospitalized in stable condition, Brown said Monday.
Another two victims — Alexander Balis, a 26-year-old resident of Mullica Hill, New Jersey; and Jatil Kodati, 28, of Jersey City, New Jersey — were treated for gunshot wounds to their arms.
The complaint states another victim, Kevin Kania, whose age and hometown was not disclosed, was among those allegedly fired upon, though there is no allegation indicating he was wounded in the shooting.
Sarreshteh is charged with murder in Boldin's death, four attempted murder counts related to Kania, Gazzani, Balis and Kodati, and an assault with a semi-automatic firearm count for allegedly shooting Ely.
A GoFundMe page organized by Boldin's employer had raised more than $65,000 by Thursday afternoon.
Michelle Dente of Ace Parking wrote, "On April 22, 2021, Justice's life was senselessly taken. While we are still trying to make sense of what transpired, we are somewhat comforted to know that the suspect was apprehended and is in police custody. In this case, justice was upheld for our Justice Boldin, thanks to the San Diego Police Department who quickly responded to the scene. While Justice Boldin was new to the Ace family, he will forever remain an Ace family member. Please kindly help his family deal with this tragic event by giving them a little peace of mind to cope with the financial effects of this tragedy."
