OFF THE WIRE
Samuel Vanettes was acting as a peacemaker between an off-duty deputy and another person, district attorney's office says.
The man who authorities say was shot to death by a Riverside County sheriff's deputy in a Murrieta pub was trying to break up an argument when he was shot, a district attorney's office spokesman said.
The deputy, Dayle William Long, 42, was charged Friday with one count of murder with a special allegation of using a firearm to cause a death. Long, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail, would face 50 years to life if convicted.
Samuel Vanettes, 36, was shot multiple times around 8 p.m. Wednesday night at Spelly's Pub and Grille, the Murrieta police said.
Vanettes stepped in as a peacemaker during an argument between Long and another person, district attorney’s office spokesman John Hall said. Vanettes, of Winchester, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Long was drinking that night, Hall said, though authorities are waiting for a toxicology report to determine if he was drunk.
Vanettes was not aggressive and was unarmed, Hall said.
A 10-year veteran of the sheriff’s department, Long was assigned to court in downtown Riverside.
Long appeared in court briefly Friday and asked to postpone an arraignment. His attorney, Jeff Zimel of the public defender’s office, said he wanted time to gather evidence in the case.
"I know there's more to this story than what I've seen in the (news)papers," Zimel said outside the courtroom.
Long, clad in a red prison jumpsuit signifying he is being held apart from the general prison population, spoke only once during the hearing.
“Yes, sir,” Long said softly, after Judge Angel Bermudez asked if he agreed to postponment the arraignment.
During a closed door meeting, Long’s attorneys asked the judge to block photographers from taking Long’s picture, and to transfer his case to another court where he wouldn’t have to be transported with other inmates, prosecutor Daniel DeLimon said. Both requests were denied.
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