Court Hears of Confrontation Over Backpack That Preceded Shooting Death of Victim, 20

A hearing began Thursday to determine whether a man will go to trial after being accused of killing one man and wounding another in front of the San Diego Central Library.

The charges against Kenneth Chaney, 23, include murder and attempted murder. Trey Walker, 20, was killed on May 23, 2023, while a 24-year-old man was injured.

Prosecutors allege that the deadly noontime shooting arose out of a dispute over possession of a backpack.

The man whose backpack was stolen requested anonymity during his testimony, but identified himself as Walker’s friend.

He said that while ordering food at a taco shop two blocks away from the library, someone snatched his bag. He chased after the man he believed was the thief, cornering him outside a parking garage.

Surveillance footage played in court showed a man wearing a pink ski mask, whom prosecutors allege is Chaney, pull out a gun and point it at the backpack owner.

The two men spoke for a few moments and it was revealed that the gunman’s associate had taken the bag, the owner testified.

They then agreed to go to the library to see if the alleged backpack thief was there and retrieve the bag, he testified.

At the library, they encountered a group of people that included Walker, Walker’s girlfriend and a few other men. Some people in the group asked if the man wearing the ski mask took the backpack, according to testimony.

The owner said Walker approached the man in the ski mask, who backed up a few steps, pulled out a gun and opened fire.

Prosecutors say Walker, shot in the neck, died at the scene.

After shooting Walker, the man in the ski mask then said, “Let everybody else have it, whoever was there,” the backpack owner said.

Another man who was at the library that day testified that after shooting Walker, the gunman started firing multiple gunshots towards the group. One of those gunshots struck another man in his rear end, according to testimony.

Chaney was arrested two days later in the area of University Avenue and state Route 15 in City Heights, according to San Diego police. He remains in custody without bail. His preliminary hearing is expected to resume next week.

A GoFundMe page created to assist Walker’s family said he left behind a 10-month-old daughter and is also survived by his mother, father, three sisters, cousins, a niece and more.

– City News Service