People v. Reed CA1/2

BACKGROUND

A. The Prosecution’s Case 1. The Murder In the early morning hours of July 23, 2020, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) responded to a call about a body lying on the ground at 2111 Jennings Street. Upon arrival, police discovered the victim, later identified as Ortega, lying face down and motionless. He was not breathing and had no pulse. Ortega was pronounced dead at the scene. Police canvassed the area for all available video surveillance footage. The surveillance footage, which was shown to the jury, showed Reed in the early morning in a parked car on Jennings Street. When another car pulled up, Reed got out of his car and stood between the two cars. Ortega, who was walking on the sidewalk, stopped and stood by Reed’s car. Ortega walked up to Reed and stood close to him. Reed pushed Ortega away. Ortega walked back toward Reed, at one point grabbing something off the ground; Reed pushed Ortega away again. Ortega stood in a fighting stance with his fists up, and Reed pushed his chest out at Ortega. Eventually, Ortega walked away from Reed, crossed the street, and sat down. Reed returned to his previous location, standing between the cars. Seconds later, Reed…