We learn more about the homeless man executed last week by Mason James Lira during his rampage in the north county.
The homeless man is identified as 58-year-old James Harding Watson. His body was found along the railroad tracks near the train station around 7 Thursday morning. He’d been shot in the back of the head at close range. Police say they don’t know if Watson were murdered before Lira fired on the police station for 45 minutes. Or if he murdered Watson after that barrage of bullets pounded the Paso Robles Safety Center.
Watson’s family says he was a kind man who was down on his luck. He is described as a friendly guy who was a good father and brother. You may have seen him in his red suspenders walking around downtown Paso Robles.
The family started a Go-Fund-Me account to pay for his funeral expenses. It has exceeded their two thousand dollar goal. So far, they’ve raised more than $5 thousand dollars.
