People v. Armstrong CA3
Opinion
Opinion
BACKGROUND
On the morning of August 18, 2023, J.F. and his girlfriend drove to a smoke shop in Stockton. For about an hour, they talked to some people who were hanging out in front of the store. When defendant pulled up to the store, he and J.F. started arguing. The girlfriend tried to get J.F. to walk away by telling him that whatever they were arguing about was “not that serious.” The argument, which was captured on surveillance
1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code.
2 video, lasted a few minutes and ended with defendant and J.F. walking away from each other. J.F. and his girlfriend remained in the parking lot. The record does not reveal where defendant went, but the surveillance video shows him walking back up to J.F. about two minutes later while wearing a face mask and holding a semiautomatic pistol. The same argument “started all over again.” Less than a minute later, defendant shot J.F. in the left thigh. Defendant got back in his car, a blue Buick LeSabre, and drove away. A single “.45 auto” shell casing was found at the scene. Defendant’s home was searched, but the pistol defendant used to shoot J.F. was not found.