SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A Northern California man accused of shooting his sister's boyfriend three times during a dispute between the couple at her Ocean Beach home pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of attempted murder and discharging a firearm.
Lance Touchstone, 40, was ordered held on $250,000 bail.
Deputy District Attorney Makenzie Harvey told Judge Frederick Maguire that Touchstone had come from Petaluma to visit his sister about a week before the Aug. 8 shooting.
Harvey said the woman and 30-year-old Jeff Renteria got into an argument, and he left her home in the 2100 block of Ebers Street, but she called him and he returned.
When Renteria entered the home, Touchstone and his sister were sitting on the couch, and the defendant fired at the victim three times with a 9mm handgun, causing injuries to his liver, kidneys and arms, the prosecutor alleged.
Harvey said the victim took photos of the defendant with his cell phone just before the shots rang out.
Defense attorney Jim Fitzpatrick said victim had drug issues and lived in a nearby garage. The attorney alleged Renteria had engaged in previous acts of violence against Touchstone's sister, and that she and Renteria had already broken up.
Fitzpatrick also said Touchstone's sister kept guns in the home, and she and her brother believed the victim had stolen the firearms.
When Renteria returned to the home, Touchstone and his sister begged him not to come in, but he did so anyway, Fitzpatrick told the judge.
The attorney said the case involved "legitimate self-defense" and was not some random shooting.
Touchstone -- who came to court after posting $50,000 bail on an assault charge -- was taken back into custody after the judge raised bail.
The defendant -- who faces 19 years in prison if convicted -- will be back in court Aug. 25 for a readiness conference and Aug. 29 for a preliminary hearing.
