A late-night confrontation outside a downtown Napa cardroom turned deadly early Tuesday when a man was struck and run over in the Ace & Vine parking lot, Napa police said. Officers arrived at the lot on Lincoln Avenue to find the man gravely injured. He was taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Detectives later arrested a suspect the same day, and the investigation remains active.
Records from the Napa County Sheriff’s Office show that 24-year-old Reginald Davis Jr. of Suisun City was arrested July 7 and booked on suspicion of murder and felony hit-and-run. He is being held without bail, according to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office. The jail entry lists Penal Code 187(a) and Vehicle Code 20001(a) as the counts associated with the booking.
Police say argument came before fatal crash
Officers were dispatched just after midnight Tuesday for reports of a shooting in the Ace & Vine parking lot at 505 Lincoln Avenue, but witnesses told investigators the victim had not been shot and instead was hit by a vehicle, according to The Press Democrat. The man was taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
Police said the suspect told detectives he and the other man had been arguing before the vehicle struck the victim and left the scene.
What the listed charges mean
The booking records list suspicion of murder under Penal Code section 187, as outlined by California Legislative Information, and suspicion of fleeing the scene of a crash under Vehicle Code section 20001, also described by California Legislative Information. Both are felonies under state law.
Penal Code section 187 defines murder as the unlawful killing of a human being with malice. Vehicle Code section 20001 requires drivers involved in collisions that injure or kill someone to stop and provide aid; violations can bring prison time and fines.
Where it happened
Ace & Vine operates a cardroom at the 505 Lincoln Avenue address in downtown Napa, and state gaming records list the business as licensed. The California Gambling Control Commission includes Ace & Vine on its licensees page, identifying the venue as an active cardroom in the city.
Napa police detectives say they are still gathering information and have asked anyone who knows more about what happened to contact the department. Prosecutors had not filed formal charges in the case as of late Wednesday afternoon, The Press Democrat reported. Authorities have not released the victim’s name, citing the need to notify family members first.
