A 21-year-old man pleaded not guilty today to charges alleging that he fatally shot a man outside Bruno's nightclub in the Mission.
A 21-year-old man pleaded not guilty today to charges alleging that he fatally shot a man outside Bruno’s nightclub in San Francisco’s Mission District in December.
Taaron Bragg shot 26-year-old Camilo Senchyna-Beltran in self-defense during the Dec. 7 incident, Bragg’s attorney Deputy Public Defender Niki Solis said at his arraignment this morning.
Solis said the San Francisco Police Department has surveillance footage of the area during the shooting. She said the footage captured Bragg being punched in the face prior to the shooting. She said she believes that footage will exonerate her client and prove that Bragg was merely acting in self-defense.
UPDATE 4/12/2018 Plea reached in 2014 slaying of off-duty EMT.Assistant District Attorney Eric Fleming said that no witnesses have come forward reporting that Bragg was punched prior to the shooting. Fleming said Bragg had denied involvement in the shooting and is only now claiming he shot Senchyna-Beltran in self-defense.
Fleming accused the defendant of lying about being punched. Solis said that Senchyna-Beltran and another man at the scene had alleged gang affiliations, while her client did not.
Police said Senchyna-Beltran was found suffering from a gunshot wound near the intersection of 20th and Mission streets near Bruno’s nightclub at about 2 a.m. on Dec. 7. Senchyna-Beltran was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where he later died of his injuries, according to police.
San Francisco police arrested Bragg more than two weeks after the fatal shooting. Bragg was initially arrested on an unrelated robbery warrant and a misdemeanor theft warrant by Bayview station police officers who recognized him from a wanted homicide bulletin.
Police investigators gathered information identifying Bragg as the suspect in the homicide and he was later arrested on suspicion of one count of homicide and one count of attempted homicide in addition to the outstanding warrants.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Monica Wiley set Bragg’s bail at $2 million today.
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To set the record straight: while I cannot say whether or not anyone else at the crime scene had “alleged gang affiliations,” my nephew, Camilo Senchyna-Beltran, most definitely did not. Camilo was a sweet, honest, hard-working and non-violent young man, and for the defense attorney to portray him as being somehow responsible for his own murder is absolutely offensive. The police investigators stated that in the course of their investigation that they found no drug connections or gang affiliations whatsoever. In fact, they reported that rarely did they encounter a murder victim for whom every person interviewed said such positive things—his kindness, his compassion, his honesty, his work ethic and his integrity. Camilo was a well-regarded EMT at his workplace, and was just months away from being sworn in as a paramedic. He was a loving son, grandson, nephew and friend. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time on the night of December 7th, certainly, and perhaps with the wrong people, but in no way did he deserve what happened to him. He had so much left to give to the world, to contribute, and that was cruelly taken away from and from all of us by this senseless, reckless act. The young man who committed this act not only took Camilo’s life, but he destroyed all the hopes and dreams that Camilo’s mother had for her only child. He left her, as well as Camilo’s entire family and many friends devastated and heartbroken beyond what words can ever convey. And the young man who carried out this senseless deed destroyed his own life, as well. We take no pleasure in the thought of a young man going to prison for the next several decades of his life. Nonetheless there must be accountability. On the individual level, yes, but equally accountable is a society that allows this senseless gun violence to continue unabated, year after year. Our hearts are broken in two, for our beloved Camilo and for all victims of gun violence.
Thanks for your comment and sorry for your loss. We will continue to follow this story at SFBay and publish updates as we receive them.
Thank you. Of course I recognize that it’s your job as a journalist to publish what was said in the courtroom without judgement. And the defense attorney is resonsible for attempting to mount a defense, even when there is none. As is the case here. The defendant, Mr. Bragg, is in essence now admitting that he killed my nephew. Seemingly because it the act is on videotape, so to refute that he did it is futile. So the argument is now that it was self defense, because he was punched. Punched by whom? By Camilo or someone else? I do not know.
I was not there. Even if, however, he was punched by Camilo, does the law state that this is grounds for justifiable homicide? I believe not. Camilo had no weapon on him. He did not carry a gun. The defense has no case here, as far as I can see. They are grasping for straws. And if this was happening right outside of Brunos, my question is: where was Brunos’ security? Do they not have a responsibility to provide security as their club lets out at 2am? That may be a story worthy of a journalistic investigation. Nothing can bring Camilo back to us. His mother has to live with this profound loss for the rest of her life. But if something could be done to change the dynamic in which situations like this take place (such as providing proper security) we should insist that it be done. To perhaps spare another family the pain we are now enduring.
Jesse- once again I must ask you to retract this article which is referred to 1 year later when a story is written about my son Camilo. Please contact Public Defender Nikki Solis about the “self defense” and video she states shows Taaron Bragg being punched. I have sat through 2 days of a Preliminary Hearing with videos & witness testimony which all point
to a senseless act of violence on Bragg’s part, not self defense.
Thank your for adding context and perspective to this important and painful story. Please accept our sympathies for your family’s loss, along with our assurances we are continuing to report on this story leading up to trial.