Jury selection commenced on Thursday for the trial of a convicted felon accused of the fatal shooting of a 25-year-old associate during a confrontation outside a popular hookah bar in Riverside.
The defendant, Kevin Alfredo Hernandez, 26, hailing from San Bernardino, allegedly took the life of Jose Rondan, also from San Bernardino, in the parking lot of the University Lounge situated at 1345 University Ave in 2021.
Hernandez faces charges of murder, illegal possession of a firearm as a felon, in addition to sentence-enhancing allegations of gun utilization and causing great bodily injury.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Charles Koosed instructed multiple groups of potential jurors to report to the Riverside Hall of Justice on Thursday for preliminary screening regarding their qualifications and availability.
Commencement of opening statements in the trial is tentatively scheduled for Monday.
Hernandez is presently remanded in custody with a bail amount of $1 million at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.
During the defendant’s preliminary hearing in March 2022, Riverside police Detective Joshua Ontko testified that Hernandez accompanied Rondan and the victim’s unnamed girlfriend to the University Lounge on the evening of March 13, 2021.
The trio met with several friends at the hookah bar before leaving in the woman’s car to purchase alcohol. They subsequently returned to the bar a short while later, approximately at 1 a.m. on March 14, as per testimony from the detective.
According to the detective, they remained inside the woman’s vehicle, seemingly to consume alcohol. However, an argument erupted when she misplaced her keys, resulting in Rondan and Hernandez exiting the sedan while engaged in a heated argument.
The verbal exchange eventually escalated into a physical altercation, with Rondan knocking Hernandez to the ground, sandwiched between two cars, and repeatedly punching him in the face, recounted Ontko.
“Mr. Hernandez informed us that Jose began choking him, to the point where he almost lost consciousness,” testified the detective. “Finally, when he managed to regain his feet, Jose started to walk away. Mr. Hernandez called out to him by saying ‘Hey,’ and when Jose turned to face him, Mr. Hernandez retrieved his firearm and fired at him.”
Rondan suffered three gunshot wounds to the chest, inflicted by a 9mm handgun, and succumbed to his injuries on the spot.
According to Ontko’s testimony, the defendant confessed to opening fire “because he was furious.”
He subsequently fled in a northerly direction to a nearby strip mall adjacent to Interstate 215, where law enforcement apprehended him less than an hour later.
No other individuals suffered harm during the incident.
While court documents did not specify the details of Hernandez’s previous felony convictions in another jurisdiction.
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