No murder charge for man arrested over San Francisco Pride shooting
A man arrested over a shooting at San Francisco Pride will not face murder charges.
Ed Perkins, 20, was arrested on suspicion of the murder of 19-year-old Stephen Powell, who was shot dead on Saturday during celebrations in the city’s Castro district.
Police said today that .357 handgun found on Mr Perkins was not the weapon used to kill Mr Powell and witnesses had not placed him at the scene.
Instead, he will face charges of carrying a concealed weapon and possessing a loaded weapon.
Two innocent bystanders were shot in Saturday’s incident. The man and woman, aged 27 and 19 respectively, were shot in the leg but are expected to make a full recovery.
Police reportedly believe Mr Powell knew his killer and are not treating his death as a hate crime.
In a separate incident, two people were shot on Monday during a vigil for the dead man in the city’s Castro District.
According to Associated Press, a 21-year-old man was shot through the cheek and a 19-year-old was shot in the leg.
