Authorities filed murder charges this week against 26-year-old Berkeley resident Jessie McAllister after a fatal shooting Saturday at a Berkeley Hills home.
The man who was killed was identified in court papers as 39-year-old Alfred Charles Taylor Jr. His city of residence was not immediately available but Berkeleyside has requested it from police. The coroner’s bureau confirmed to Berkeleyside on Thursday that Taylor’s next of kin had been notified.
The Alameda County district attorney’s office charged McAllister on Wednesday with murder and possession of a firearm by a felon, along with various special allegations that could lengthen his sentence if he is convicted, according to court documents.
Authorities say McAllister fatally shot Taylor at a home in the 1100 block of Glen Avenue (near Oak Street) at about 4 p.m. Saturday. When first responders arrived, they found Taylor still alive in the backyard. Firefighters rendered aid but he “succumbed to his injuries,” and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to court papers.
Witnesses told police the killing happened inside the house, according to BPD. Multiple witnesses identified McAllister as the killer, police said. Investigators arrested McAllister on Monday at the Berkeley Amtrak station near University Avenue and Fourth Street.
Police said they read McAllister his Miranda rights, reminding him of his right to remain silent, but he waived them.
“McAllister initially denied being in Berkeley and knowing the victim,” according to court papers. “When confronted with evidence, he changed his story and admitted to being at the residence and shooting the victim.”
McAllister had just been released from Santa Rita Jail three days before the fatal shooting, police wrote, and is on probation for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He had been arrested in June in connection with a gunfire investigation in the Southside neighborhood.
According to charging documents, McAllister also has convictions for felony assault likely to produce great bodily injury and burglary.
McAllister was arraigned Thursday. His next court appearance was not immediately available due to a lag in the county system.
McAllister remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail, where he is being held without bail, according to county jail records online.
