Teenager accused of air rifle shooting in Hillcrest pleads not guilty in hate crime case

A 19-year-old man accused of carrying out a series of shootings with a shotgun in Hillcrest pleaded not guilty Friday to assault and hate crime charges.

Hernan Garduno Hernandez is accused of shooting six victims along University Avenue with three different gel bullets on the night of September 7.

Assistant District Attorney Mei Owen said the attacks, believed to have been directed at the LGBTQ+ community, occurred over a period of about 30 minutes between 9:40 p.m. and 10:10 p.m., and witnesses described a silver sedan driving past them as the shooting occurred.

The prosecutor said an investigation was underway to determine “who else other than the defendant may have been involved in the incident.”

Earlier this week, San Diego police asked the public for help in identifying the perpetrators.

The latest shooting occurred around 2 a.m. Sunday in the area of ​​10th and University Avenue. The suspect vehicle in those incidents was described as a light-colored minivan.

Owen said the attacks on Saturday night began around 9:40 p.m. when someone opened fire on a group of friends standing outside the Burger Lounge restaurant on the university. Three of the victims were hit in the arms and legs, she said.

About 15 minutes later, less than a block west, an employee of Urban Mo's Bar & Grill was hit by a gel pellet while outside, according to prosecutors.

Twelve minutes later, a couple leaving Urban Mo's were struck in the upper body, Owen said. The couple saw a car drive by and heard laughter coming from the vehicle, she said.

The prosecutor said witness descriptions helped identify the car involved, and San Diego police determined it belonged to Hernandez. Investigators searched the car and found an “Xshot gel blaster” in the back seat, along with “hundreds” of gel pellets, Owen said.

According to county jail records, Hernandez was taken into custody on Wednesday.

If convicted on all counts and charges, he faces up to six years and four months in prison.

Hernandez's attorney, George Siddell, asked for his client to be released on probation, but Supreme Court Judge John Pro kept bail at $30,000.

Siddell argued that Hernandez told police after his arrest that he was unaware of Hillcrest's reputation as an LGBTQ+-friendly community.

“I don't believe he had any intention of hurting anyone because of their sexual orientation,” Siddell said during Hernandez's arraignment.

Owen argued that Hernandez had no ties to the neighborhood but was a lifelong San Diego resident who was “aware of the diverse demographic makeup of Hillcrest.”

Also this week, a $2,000 reward was offered for a series of air rifle shootings in Hillcrest that police say occurred on May 18.

These other incidents are being investigated as hate crimes, but police and prosecutors have not said whether Hernandez is believed to be connected to those cases.