Man convicted of attempted murder of Palm Springs nightclub security guard
A Thermal man was convicted Monday of attempted murder and assault with a firearm for shooting a security guard after being thrown out of a Palm Springs nightclub.
Jurors were handed the case late Friday and reached a verdict Monday morning against Sheldon Alfred Auclair Jr. The 32-year-old defendant faces more than 15 years in prison, with sentencing set for April 22 at the Larson Justice Center.
The shooting took place at Zelda’s nightclub during the predawn hours of April 18, 2014. Deputy District Attorney Hawlee Valente said Auclair was kicked out of Zelda’s for throwing a woman to the ground, but remained outside the club, where he and a friend got into an argument with another group.
That altercation was broken up by club security guards Eugenio Bradford and Cody Kennedy. Auclair then drew a .45-caliber handgun from his waistband and pointed it at Kennedy, prompting Bradford to tell the defendant, “Just leave, man. Now we’ll have to involve the police,” according to the prosecutor.
Instead of leaving as suggested, Auclair shot Bradford in the stomach –an injury which resulted in two surgeries and kept the victim hospitalized for about a month, Valente said.
Video: victim’s brother talks to KESQ about shooting
Deputy Public Defender Dennette McIntyre contended that Auclair was “legitimately wrongfully accused,” arguing that multiple witnesses saw Auclair kicked out of Zelda’s, yet failed to identify him in a photographic lineup.
McIntyre said Kennedy, an additional Zelda’s security guard, and multiple other witnesses offered police only vague descriptions of the shooter.
