A man accused of fatally shooting an acquaintance at the victim's home in East County pleaded not guilty Monday.
Vincent Frank Pedersen, age 43, faces one count of first-degree murder while using a firearm as an assault weapon, officials confirmed. He is being held on a bail amount of $1,000,000, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's department.
His next court appearance is set for May 2.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO) said deputies were called at about 10 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4 in 2016 to investigate reports of an assault in front of a home in the 1300 block of Oro Street in unincorporated El Cajon.
.@SDSheriff Homicide detectives tell me this is the 28th homicide in 2016, the highest rate of homicides in a decade for their jurisdiction pic.twitter.com/EMnExjKiQu
— Ramon Galindo (@RamonGalindoNBC) November 5, 2016
When deputies arrived, they discovered a 34-year-old man lying in the driveway of the home, suffering from trauma to his upper body. He was alive, but badly injured. Deputies began treating the man, as paramedics rushed to the scene.
The victim was taken to a local hospital where he died a short time later, the SDSO said. Pedersen was arrested at a home down the street from the crime scene, in the 700 block of Oro Street.
