The owner of a barbershop who was killed at his Oak Park business last year suffered at least 16 gunshot wounds, including many to his head, a detective testified in court Tuesday.
A preliminary hearing began in San Diego for Peter Johnson, 50, and Ian Guthrie, 39, two men accused in the deadly May 9, 2014, shooting of Lamar Canady, 32, at the Official Cutz barber shop at 54th and Redwood streets. Both were bound over for trial Tuesday.
Canady, who owned the shop, was inside his business when a suspect walked up to him and opened fire. News of the shooting spread quickly in the community, causing an uproar among residents. As police investigated, concerned residents flooded the streets in search of answers.
After the shooting, San Diego police released surveillance photos and a video to the public in hopes of tracking down the suspects.
Johnson and Guthrie were arrested in connection with Canady’s murder in late August 2014. Johnson was arrested in Kansas City, Mo., and later extradited to San Diego. He has been held at the Vista Detention Facility since September on $10 million bail on a first-degree murder charge. Guthrie, also charged with first-degree murder, has been at the South Bay Detention Facility on $5 million bail.
According to the victim’s aunt, Canady was well-known in the community, described as an “ambitious, smart, funny, witty” man. He left behind a wife and four children at the time of his shooting, including a newborn baby girl.
A San Diego Police Department homicide detective was the first witness to take the stand at the suspects’ preliminary hearing. He recalled grisly details of the murder scene and how police found the victim after the shooting in the barber shop.
"I did notice there was a great deal of blood at the crime scene," Det. James Jones testified. "And it appeared that he had a number of injuries to his head."
The victim’s mother, Lucy Canady, visibly overwhelmed with emotion, walked out of the courtroom in tears.
“I had to leave out of the courtroom because I couldn’t take it anymore. I just kind of broke down,” she told NBC 7 outside.
Lucy said all she wants is justice for her son -- a man she says just wanted to do good in his community.
“He was just trying to be somebody and get somewhere in life,” she said. “His dream was to get the barbershop – do things in life.”
When seeing the suspects face-to-face the mother said she couldn't help but wonder why this all happened to her son.
“It’s something I really can’t explain. It’s just a hurt feeling,” Lucy added.
She said Canady's killing has been really hard on his children.
According to investigators, one of the suspects was at a nearby liquor store just before the shooting. That suspect's DNA was found on a beer car and was later used to link the suspect to the crime.
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More than a dozen of Canady's family members attended the Tuesday's court proceedings.
