Larry Darnell Bishop Jr. of Chino was charged with one count of murder with the special circumstances of discharging a firearm from a vehicle and murder to further a criminal street gang.
Bishop was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, but the court hearing was postponed to Jan. 23.
Victor McClinton, 49, was in his front yard in the 1900 block of Newport Avenue when he was shot to death at about 11 a.m. on Christmas. Authorities say the sheriff's department technician was caught in the line of fire and was not involved with gangs.
"The first defendant [Bishop] has been charged with murder with two special circumstances. The first is a shooting from a motor vehicle. The second one is killing by an active gang participant. Those two special circumstances would qualify him for the death penalty," said a court official Wednesday.
Damion Taylor was also wounded in the shooting. Detectives say the 24-year-old is a known gang associate, but there was no connection between Taylor and McClinton.
Bishop was arrested Friday by Pasadena police and has remained jailed without bail. The 20-year-old has also been charged with attempted murder, two counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling and possession of a firearm by a felon. Prosecutors will decide at a later date whether to pursue the death penalty.
Gary A. Davis, 20, has been charged as an accessory after the fact. He remains in custody with bail set at $1 million.
McClinton was a youth sports director and coach in the Brotherhood Crusade Youth Sports League. He leaves behind a wife and two boys.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
