Pedro Jose Garcia, 34, looks to the viewing area as he makes his first court appearance being accused in Sunday’s shooting at a southwest valley Starbucks that left a man dead on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016.
Published Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016 | 10:08 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016 | 2:05 p.m.
A man killed in a shooting at a Starbucks coffee shop in the southwest valley was a naturalized U.S. citizen from Tblisi, Georgia, where he served in the military and learned not to back away from conflict.
That's according to David Shtromberg, a lifelong friend who says he used to warn Aleksandr Khutsishvili, 41, about trying to defend other people.
Shtromberg lives in Los Angeles. He says Khutsishvili went by the nickname Sasha, and was a twice-divorced father of three who became a U.S. citizen in 2004 and used to work as a longshoreman in California before moving to Las Vegas several years ago.
Meanwhile, the man accused of fatally shooting Khutsishvili on Sunday made his first appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court this morning.
Standing in a blue jumpsuit and handcuffs, 34-year-old Pedro Jose Garcia nodded when asked by Judge Holly Stoberski if he understood the charges he faces of open murder, robbery, burglary and discharging a gun into an occupied building.
The shooting happened about 11:30 a.m. at the Starbucks at 7260 S. Rainbow Blvd. Garcia, who became agitated after his credit card was declined at the drive-thru, went inside, where he got into an argument with another customer, Metro Police said.
He shot Khutsishvili in the chest and fired two rounds into the air, threatening to shoot other people, police said. There were about a dozen people in the store, but nobody else was injured before officers showed up and arrested Garcia, police said.
In court today, Ed Kane of the Office of the Clark County Public Defender asked the judge to delay setting a preliminary hearing until his office can determine if it has any conflicts representing Garcia.
Stoberski set Garcia’s next court appearance for Friday, at which time a preliminary hearing date will be set.
Garcia is being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson, who was observing in the courtroom, said he planned to assign his most seasoned prosecutors to the case.
Garcia has served time in federal and Nevada prisons for convictions on stolen vehicle, battery, attempted theft, drug and weapon charges, according to court and prison records that showed he was released from federal custody in November.
Las Vegas Sun reporter Chris Kudialis and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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