Jury deadlocks on charges in Black and Blue shooting
By Perry Smith
Senior Staff Writer
After two days of deliberation in the case of a man accused of shooting another outside a Santa Clarita bar, jurors deadlocked Thursday on the two most significant charges and convicted the defendant on three lesser weapons charges.
Isaac Rashad Clark’s trial, which began July 23, revolved around attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon charges stemming from the Oct. 31, 2022, shooting outside Black and Blue Restaurant.
On Wednesday, the jurors asked for more time to discuss the self-defense claims made by Clark, which the jury ultimately could not decide upon.
In response to the jurors’ questions, attorneys for the defense and the prosecution presented their closing arguments a second time in a San Fernando courtroom Thursday afternoon for Clark.
The prosecution focused on attacking the credibility of the self-defense claim, while the defense sought to portray the shooting victim as the aggressor in the confrontation.
In order to address the jury’s questions, both sides were given about a half-hour to restate their cases to the jury in oral arguments.
Both sides played footage from the night of the shooting, which was filmed on cellphones right outside the bar.
On Thursday, Deputy District Attorney Shareen Nizami started with what she described as demonstrable lies from defense witnesses, including claims that the victim was related to the DJ at the party and that the victim was a Pacoima Piru gang member.
Nizami repeatedly stated to the jury that a reasonable person who was in fear for their life would not have waited outside of Black and Blue, taunting the victim, before ultimately confronting him as he left the bar.
That was the threshold for a self-defense claim, she said: “What would a reasonable person have done?”
She also said the suspect’s claim that he fired warning shots while running scared from the victim appear not to be credible based on footage that shows Clark waiting for the victim outside the bar, while repeatedly taunting the victim, who Clark claimed on the stand was bullying him.
Defense attorney Jaaye Person-Lynn started his argument with a stock photo of four babies — which was quickly objected to on grounds of relevance, which the judge sustained — to remind the jury that the defendant has a presumption of innocence in their deliberations. Babies were used as a picture of innocence.
Person-Lynn said the shooting victim, who is larger than Clark, charged him in the parking lot over 60 yards outside the bar.
During that time, the shooting victim, who also had been drinking at the party, according to testimony presented at trial, made the defendant fear for his life, according to the defense.
The defense attorney also said there were 14 shots fired and only three struck the victim, which corroborated the defendant’s version of events with respect to the warning shots. If any other buildings or people were hit, there was no evidence of that presented at trial, he said.
“When (the shooting victim) drops, the bullets stop,” Person-Lynn told the jury before ending his statement.
“That was the plan, to defend himself, the same way you all would have that right to defend yourself,” he said.
After comparing the elements of a self-defense claim to Clark’s action, focusing on what a “reasonable person” would have done, Nizami said that argument doesn’t hold up.
Clark was looking for a fight outside the bar, and one can’t do that and then claim self-defense, she said.
“The defendant was not scared, nor was he under attack,” Nazimi said, adding that Clark was surrounded by friends at the time that the shooting victim charged him. “None of this was necessary.”
Following the arguments, the jurors issued their guilty verdict on possession of ammunition, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and carrying a loaded firearm in specific circumstances.
A court clerk indicated Thursday afternoon that the case would be brought back at a later date for a retrial on the more significant charges: assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder.
