Man unexpectedly pleads guilty to 2007 shooting
A suspected gunman charged with shooting a man in Pacific Beach in January 2007 unexpectedly pleaded guilty July 22 to assault with a deadly weapon.
Phillip Troy Relos, 24, faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in state prison, said Deputy District Attorney Clayton Biddle. Charges of attempted murder and discharging a firearm from a vehicle in the Jan. 21, 2007 incident were dropped after he pleaded guilty to assault.
Relos admitted he shot David Fitzpatrick, 24, in the right hip. The two men did not know each other. It occurred at 2 a.m. in the 4500 block of Dawes Street. Alcohol could have played a factor.
“It was a verbal confrontation that went too far,” Biddle said.
San Diego Superior Court Judge William Kennedy scheduled sentencing for Aug. 25. The plea was unexpected in that he fired his second public defender in May and received a third attorney in June. His trial had been set for mid-September.
Fitzpatrick was walking with friends and someone in a Saab fired a shot and wounded him for no apparent reason. The car drove off, but San Diego police stopped the vehicle and Relos was arrested later that night.
Relos had posted $50,000 bond, but after a judge heard testimony in the March 20, 2007, preliminary hearing, she increased the bail to $1 million, citing the seriousness of the charges. In January another judge revoked bail, and Relos remains in the George F. Bailey Detention Facility without bail.
OMBAC hosts blood drive at the WaveHouse Aug. 2
OMBAC wants your blood.
Members of the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club are inviting the public to join them for a blood drive Saturday, Aug. 2 at the WaveHouse from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
All donors will be fed a free lunch courtesy of OMBAC’s Road Kill Cafe.
Donors must be at least 17 years old, in good health and weigh at least 110 pounds.
The WaveHouse is located at Belmont Park, 3146 Mission Blvd.
For information call the San Diego Blood Bank at (800) 469-7322 or visit sandiegobloodbank.org.