Ip to Be Retried for 2nd-Degree Murder in Killing of Youth

Roger Sing Ip, charged with the shooting death of a Pacific Beach teen-ager, was ordered Wednesday to stand trial a second time. Superior Court Judge Herbert Exarhos set Oct. 22 as the new trial date.

Ip, who co-owned a restaurant in Pacific Beach, was acquitted last month of first-degree murder in the killing of Kurt Von Yokes, 15. The jury deadlocked 7 to 5 in favor of acquittal on second-degree murder.

Exarhos denied a defense motion to dismiss the murder charge against Ip and also kept Ip’s bail at $1 million.

Ip remains in custody in County Jail.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Gregg McClain said Ip will be retried on a charge of second-degree murder.

Ip shot Yokes on July 10, 1989, after a minor traffic altercation with Yokes and two of the youth’s friends.

Ip admitted following Yokes and his friends, but testified that he shot the boy accidentally.

He said he had a gun in his hand and was attempting to put his car in gear, to get away from the trio, when the vehicle stalled, causing the gun to go off.

The gun fired once, mortally wounding Yokes in the chest.