Sept. 01--Around Venice Beach Jascent-Jamal Lee Warren was known as Shakespeare, The Wordsmith.
When the 26-year-old wasn't crafting rhymes or reading his poetry aloud along the beach, friends say he was helping out other homeless people living on the streets.
He spoke with a peaceful demeanor and would often help settle disputes. Friends said that was what he was doing Sunday morning when he was shot and killed outside the Cadillac Hotel about 2 a.m.
Police and prosecutors won't discuss a potential motive, but have arrested and charged hotel owner Sris Sinnathamby, 54, in Warren's killing. Appearing in court Tuesday in a green T-shirt, Sinnathamby pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree murder. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
Deeming Sinnathamby, a native of Sri Lanka, a flight risk, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz set bail at $1 million and ordered him to be placed in an electronic monitoring program.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Kristin Trutanich said in court that Sinnathamby "did not have the weapon in his hand" during the slaying but he "initiated the incident and was somewhat directing the incident."
In Venice Beach on Tuesday, Kiva Blount, 34, said that she was present for the shooting and watched the young homeless man die.
She said Sinnathamby was hosting an art show Saturday night -- a Facebook posts indicates there was an event at the hotel until 9 p.m. -- and said the shooting occurred after a bar closed out nearby.
The hotel owner, Blount said, started yelling at a homeless man on the sidewalk when a man came out of an SUV and pointed a gun at the man. That is when Warren , the famous peacemaker of Venice, arrived from across Ocean Front Walk where the homeless stay.
Blount said the hotel owner then yelled at the gunman to shoot the men and used a racial epithet. The gunman shot about 10 times, she said.
Warren was the closest one to the gunman and fell to the ground, she said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Another victim, a man in his 40s, was shot in the leg and taken to a hospital, where he was listed in stable condition, according to LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman.
Police did not say on if there's any outstanding suspects beyond Sinnathamby and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office declined to comment on the case beyond saying that he had been charged.
Two days after the killing, a vigil where Warren was killed continued to grow. Across from Sinnathamby's pink and aqua green hotel , homeless people and local residents stopped by to drop off flowers and candles.
Mariah Magomedova, 29, said Warren was the first person to offer her help when she arrived at Venice Beach this May, newly homeless, from Tennessee. He helped her navigate the often intimidating world, helping her find bus tokens, clothes and other aid.
"He was uplifting," she said." He was dedicated to peace and offering spiritual support to anyone he met."
She and other homeless people at the vigil said they weren't familiar with Sinnathamby. The hotel wasn't particularly well known for treating the homeless poorly, some said.
Magomedova said Warren slept on the streets but managed to maintain a day job. He posted his music to social media and hoped to be signed to a label in the future.
"In the process of working it out but it feels like life's ills got it out for me," he said in one song posted to the audio sharing site Soundcloud.
Staff writers Matt Hamilton and Ruben Vives contributed to this report.
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UPDATE:
3:00 p.m.: This story was updated with details on Sinnathamby's court appearance.
2:52 p.m.: This story was updated with a witness account.
1:02 p.m.: This story was updated to include the criminal charge.
