A Hawthorne man accused of shooting and killing a bystander outside of a North Long Beach liquor store last year has been ordered to stand trial for murder.
Court records show Long Beach Superior Court Judge Christopher J. Frisco on Monday found sufficient evidence to allow the case against 50-year-old Kelly Bayloe to proceed to trial. In addition to the murder charge, Bayloe also faces one count of possession of a gun after being previously convicted of a felony.
Police allege Bayloe fatally shot 46-year-old Ryan Pearson on the night of April 1, 2022, outside of Don’s Liquor in North Long Beach following an argument with a group of people, however, Pearson wasn’t the intended target and he wasn’t involved in the dispute.
Officers responded to the shooting at around 9:13 p.m. and found Pearson lying in the doorway of the liquor store, according to a search warrant filed in Long Beach Superior Court in April last year. Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Detectives during their investigation found security camera footage that captured Bayloe arguing that night with a group of males at the location, according to the search warrant. Police say that after leaving the scene for a few minutes, Bayloe returned and opened fire on the group.
None of the people in the group were struck, but Pearson, who was nearby, was hit in the upper torso, according to the search warrant.
At the liquor store, detectives also discovered a green beer can that a forensic specialist pulled Bayloe’s fingerprint from, according to the warrant.
Bayloe was taken into custody on April 4 by detectives at a motel in Inglewood. During a search warrant of his home, officers found the blue Nike shirt and jewelry that Bayloe was captured wearing on the security camera the night of the shooting, according to the search warrant, however, the gun used in the shooting was not found.
Bayloe, who has remained jailed in lieu of $2.05 million bail ever since his arrest, is due back in court on May 15 for arraignment, where he’ll once again be asked to enter a plea.
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