Police and paramedics at the scene of one of the 2021 shootings in the Gaslamp Quarter. Courtesy OnScene.TV
Opening statements are scheduled Thursday in the trial of a man accused of opening fire in the Gaslamp Quarter last year, killing a man and injuring four others in separate shootings across the downtown area.
Travis Fereydoun Sarreshteh, 34, is facing charges that include murder and attempted murder for allegedly shooting several people on the night of April 22, 2021.
Prosecutors say the shooting spree began at around 10:30 p.m. with Sarreshteh allegedly shooting and killing 28-year-old parking valet Justice Boldin in front of the Pendry San Diego Hotel where the victim worked.
Prosecutors say that after killing Boldin, Sarreshteh walked north on Fifth Avenue, where he encountered a group of people in front of Gaslamp Pizza and started shooting, striking four people. One of the victims was struck in the back, while two others suffered gunshot wounds to their arms.
A fourth man, who was not part of the group shot at in front of the pizzeria, suffered an apparently inadvertent gunshot to his abdomen.
Sarreshteh was followed by a pair of bystanders who tackled him and kept him subdued until officers arrived, according to testimony from a two-day preliminary hearing held earlier this year.
A suspected motive for the shootings has not been disclosed. Police have alleged Sarreshteh used an unserialized “ghost gun” in the shootings and the case was regularly cited by San Diego city officials in the introduction of an ordinance banning possession of those weapons in the city.
Sarreshteh remains in custody without bail.
City News Service contributed to this article.