California Jogger Fatally Shoots Homeless Man on Sidewalk: DA

A southern California man out for a jog ended up fatally shooting a homeless man, police say. Craig Sumner Elliott, 68, has just been charged with felony voluntary manslaughter and felony enhancement of personal use of a firearm over the September 28 incident, CNN reports. The Orange County district attorney’s office says in a press release that Elliott and his two dogs came across Antonio García Avalos, 40, asleep in the middle of the sidewalk on that afternoon. Elliott, authorities say, nudged Avalos with the pushcart he had with him to wake the man up, and that’s when things got ugly. Elliott, who was filming the encounter, got the fatal shooting on video, authorities say.

Police say the awakened Avalos started shouting at Elliott to get away from him, and then threw a shoe at Elliott. Elliott, who had an active concealed carry permit from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at the time, allegedly pulled a handgun from his pushcart and shot Avalos three times. The man died at a nearby hospital, NBC News reports. “This is a tragic set of circumstances that unfolded in the worst possible way over a minor inconvenience of a blocked sidewalk, and a man is dead as a result,” says the DA. “This case is a stark reminder that taking the law into your own hands is never the answer and that there are consequences for your actions.” (Read more California stories.)