Man accused of killing brothers at Arden Fair mall appears in Sacramento Superior Court

A man accused of shooting to death two brothers during a busy Black Friday shopping evening at Arden Fair mall made his first appearance Wednesday in Sacramento Superior Court.

Prosecutors formally charged Damario Laron Beck, 18, with two counts of murder in the Friday night slayings of Dewayne James Jr., 19, and Sa’Quan Reed-James, 17.

The charges include enhancements for allegedly using a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun in the shooting, said Court Commissioner Ken Brody as he read the filed criminal complaint.

Beck’s arraignment hearing lasted only a few minutes. Beck, who remains in custody, appeared in the courtroom wearing an orange jail inmate uniform. He only spoke to confirm his name and to tell Brody he was OK with the court hearing being conducted online.

The defendant, who is being held without bail, was scheduled to return to court Dec. 21 for further proceedings in his case.

Gunfire erupted as the brothers were shopping at the mall on Black Friday, family members said during a vigil over the weekend.

Sacramento police officials said in a statement that the shooting appeared to have resulted from an argument “between two groups of people that were known to each other from prior interactions.”

Video footage of the mall shooting reviewed by The Sacramento Bee on Monday showed both parties had handguns and fired at each other as bystanders ran for their lives. The video shows the shooting occurred after two groups of young men — one in each group armed with a handgun — began a verbal dispute in the mall shortly after 6 p.m. Friday.

Jamilia Land, a spokeswoman for the family, said the family did not know of either of the victims having access to a handgun.