SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — The man accused of killing two people and critically wounding a third person at the San Francisco GiftCenter & JewelryMart earlier this month appeared in court on Wednesday.
23-year-old Barry White Jr. faces 16 felony counts including two counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder. Authorities said White fatally shot Lina Lim and Khin Min, two employees at the Victoga Gold jewelry store, on July 12th.
The store’s owner, Vic Hung, was critically injured and treated at San Francisco General Hospital. A hospital spokesperson said Wednesday that Hung has been discharged.
More than 40 family members of Lim were in court Wednesday, including Lim’s cousin Anni and sister Joanie who was anguishing over her death. “I want my sister back,” she cried.
Family members said they made a promise to bring justice to Lina.
Steven Gayle, White’s public defender, said while he is very aware that there are families who are in pain, he wanted the District Attorney’s office to stop making comments about the case. Gayle has filed a motion for prosecutorial misconduct.
“I understand this is really serious to a lot of people. I think the better we do our jobs in court, the better it’s going to serve not only these families, but the community,” Gayle said.
Gayle believes White had a serious mental breakdown on the date of the incident. Prosecutors said White went on a rampage because he thought he had been overcharged by $300 for an item he had purchased.
White is scheduled to return to court on July 31st to enter a plea.
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