Following a day of deliberation, a jury on Tuesday convicted a 33-year-old felon of murder and other charges related to a fatal shooting incident at a family banquet in Riverside. The convicted felon, Abraham David Bonilla, shot and killed his aunt, Beatrice Romo, and seriously injured an acquaintance identified as “Tommy” at the Elks Lodge on Brockton Avenue in 2018.
The jury reached unanimous verdicts on all counts after receiving the case on Tuesday morning, following closing arguments in the weeklong trial. Bonilla was found guilty of murder, attempted murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of controlled substances while armed, firearm assault, brandishing a gun, and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
Sentencing for Bonilla has been scheduled for December 8 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. He is currently being held without bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.
The incident occurred on June 30, 2018, during a family event at the lodge. Investigators stated that everything appeared to be normal until an argument broke out between Bonilla and another participant towards the end of the gathering. Bonilla then pulled out a .380 semiautomatic handgun and opened fire, unintentionally hitting his aunt and Tommy. Prosecution emphasized that Bonilla did not intend to shoot his aunt.
After the attack, Bonilla fled the scene. Family members quickly transported Romo and Tommy to Riverside Community Hospital just before officers arrived. Police later received information that a man matching the shooter’s description had been involved in a collision in the vicinity of Fremont Street and Jurupa Avenue. The man was receiving medical treatment from paramedics, and upon arrival, officers arrested Bonilla without resistance.
Romo passed away during surgery less than two hours after the incident. Tommy underwent an operation for his upper body wound and made a full recovery.
Court records reveal that Bonilla has previous convictions for assault with a deadly weapon and gang activity.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
