Men Charged In Fatal Pasadena Shooting Plead Not Guilty

PASADENA, CA — Two men charged in the fatal shooting of a third man outside a Pasadena restaurant in March pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of murder and attempted murder, according to a report from Pasadena Now.

Evan Roland Bynum, 26, of Los Angeles and Dante Dejuan Ward, 33, of Irvine were charged in the death of Bernardo Cortez Velasco, 23, of Azusa and the injury of an unidentified woman, 19, from Duarte.

Bynum and Ward pleaded not guilty to the charges and are scheduled to reappear in court June 21, Pasadena Now reported.

Bynum is currently being held in lieu of $4.09 million bail, and Ward is being held in lieu of $3.14 million bail, according to inmate records from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The Pasadena Police Department responded to a shooting on the night of March 13 in the parking lot of a strip mall near Foothill Boulevard and Altadena Drive, according to Pasadena Now.

Velasco was shot while sitting in his parked car with the woman, the magazine reported. Velasco was transported to a hospital and died the next morning from his wounds. The woman suffered only minor injuries after being hit by flying glass during the shooting.

Bynum and Ward were identified as suspects in the shooting, and Pasadena detectives arrested the pair in April. Authorities have not offered any motive for the shooting.