Kyle Delangel (above in GoFundMe photo) died early Saturday after being shout outside a bar.
A U.S. Marine and a second suspect are both accused of murder after a father was fatally shot in California over the weekend.
Damani Jerry Wiltshire-Beal, a 22-year-old active duty Marine, and Samuel Victor Perez, 23, were booked into San Diego Central Jail on Saturday following the death of Kyle Delangel. According to the San Diego Police Department, the 37-year-old father of three was leaving a bar when he was struck by a car and then shot at close range.
Wiltshire-Beal is a member of the U.S. Marine Corps stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, San Diego NBC affiliate KNSD reported. In that story, the suspect’s name was written as Wiltshirebeal, rather than Wiltshire-Beal, as cops put the name in a press release.
Asked to explain the spelling discrepancy, Maj. Mason Englehart said that the suspect is listed in records as “Cpl. Damani Jerry Wiltshirebeal” and that his “utility uniform displays the last name of Wiltshirebeal.” Englehart further said the suspect’s squadron manpower section also confirmed the Wiltshirebeal spelling. Maj. Englehart added, however, that it is possible “he either gave his name as Wiltshire-Beal, or that his driver’s license reflects that spelling, or the arresting officer input it differently.” Notably, some branches of the military have only taken steps in recent years to accurately display hyphenated names.
On a related note, the suspect’s Facebook page displays his name as “WiltshireBeal”; high school and graduation program records show the name Wiltshire-Beal. Maj. Englehart confirmed that the image below and others were posted on Wiltshire-Beal’s Facebook page.
Damani Jerry Wiltshire-Beal. (Image via Facebook video screengrab.)
Police have released little information about the crime and would only say that the three men connected to the case had been arguing as they left the club in the early morning hours of Saturday. Once in the parking lot, Delangel was struck by a black Chevrolet, and when he went to approach the driver’s side window, he was shot at close range, authorities said. Police would not say whether they believe Wiltshire-Beal or Perez fired the gun. They also did not say who had been driving the vehicle.
A screen shot shows Damani Wiltshire-Beal’s San Diego inmate record. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.
According to police, the suspects then fled the scene in a vehicle.
Cops said they were called to the scene a little after 2:00 a.m. on Saturday following reports of gunfire. Delangel died four and a half hours later at nearby Scripps La Jolla Hospital, where he had been rushed into emergency surgery.
Detectives reportedly found Perez and Wiltshire-Beal at their respective homes later on Saturday.
Inmate records show that both Wiltshire-Beal and Perez are expected to appear before a judge on Thursday afternoon. In California, premeditation is not required for a first-degree murder charge in select instances. The California penal code states that any “murder that is perpetrated by means of discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, intentionally at another person outside of the vehicle with the intent to inflict death.” Thus, intent, not premeditation, is what prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt in order to secure a conviction.
According to jail records, Wiltshire-Beal and Perez are being kept in separate areas and housing units in the jail.
Meanwhile, friends of the victim created a GoFundMe account to raise money for a funeral. His three children are now being cared for by their grandmother.