A man who killed one person and pulled a gun on a second, has been convicted of First-Degree Murder with the Use of a Deadly Weapon and two counts of Assault with a Deadly Weapon. A jury found Yun Sam Kim guilty on all counts after a brief deliberation.
Sparks Police initially responded to a report of a shooting on E Street in the afternoon of September 18, 2024, when one of the victims called 9-1-1 to say that Kim had shot his friend, John Heinz. When officers arrived, they found Heinz suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, Kim on the ground and unconscious with a head wound, and the second victim, Daniel Salas. Police learned that Salas and Heinz had been working to renovate the apartment for the last week and earlier that day, Kim appeared inside the living room, drunk. Initially, only Salas had interacted with Kim, providing him with the name of the company they were working for. When Kim refused to leave, Heinz became involved and began to move Kim out of the apartment. Kim hit his head and subsequently swung a plastic mug at Heinz. Kim then went back home and retrieved a gun, while the two victims began packing up their tools, with Salas going back upstairs and Heinz going out to their work truck. Kim came back to the property and shot Heinz two times while outside.
Salas heard Heinz yell, “Dan, I got shot,” as Heinz ran back into the apartment, with Kim behind. Heinz ran upstairs while Salas attempted to close the front door, where he encountered Kim, who had a gun in his hand. Kim then pointed the gun at Salas, saying “I’m not here for you.” The defendant then tried to go upstairs after Heinz, so Salas tripped him on the stairs, prompting Kim to once again turn the gun towards Salas. Kim eventually made it up to the second floor, where he proceeded to chase and then shoot Heinz four more times. Salas followed behind and saw Kim pointing his gun at Heinz, while Heinz was on the ground. Salas was able to knock Kim on the head with an impact driver. While on the phone with 9-1-1, Kim began to wake up and try and point the gun at the men, causing Salas to once again hit him with the impact driver.
Heinz and Kim were both taken to the hospital for their injuries, where Heinz unfortunately passed away. Deputy District Attorneys Penelope Brady and Hannah Martinez, under the supervision of Chief Deputy District Attorney Amos Stege, represented the State in the case, where they showed video evidence of Kim initially coming to the apartment, leaving, and then returning with the gun. Mr. Salas also testified, explaining the entire sequence of events in the crime.
Sentencing is set for January 7, 2027 before the Honorable Egan Walker.
