SAN DIEGO -- A dance hall owner accused of fatally shooting an unarmed man with a .357-caliber Magnum at close range near the end of a birthday party pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murder and weapons charges.

Virgil Gordon, 70, was arrested early Sunday, following the shooting death of 39-year-old Silverio Rivera-Cruz, a married father of two.

The victim was the brother of the person who rented the hall for a Quinceanera, a party to celebrate a girl's 15th birthday.

Deputy District Attorney David Berry told Judge Roger Krauel that the defendant went to the Southcrest Cultural Arts Center about 1:50 a.m. and became angry because people at the party "were not doing exactly what he told them to do."

Gordon pulled out the handgun in the room, which was filled with adults and children, and began brandishing the weapon, Berry alleged.

Included in the group was a 10-year-old child who Gordon allegedly assaulted with the gun, the prosecutor said.

The judge set bail at $750,000.

Berry had argued that $1 million bail was reasonable in light of the defendant's alleged dangerous conduct and the fact that he is facing 50 years to life in prison if convicted.

Defense attorney Frank Ragen told the judge that his client may have been struck in the head by chairs thrown at him before the shooting.

Gordon appeared in court with a bandage on his head.

"This is not a circumstance where Mr. Gordon walks into the hall and starts shooting someone," Ragen said.

According to the contract, the hall was rented from 7 p.m. until 2 a.m., with cleanup to begin at 1:30 a.m., the defense attorney said.

Ragen said Gordon has lived in San Diego for 55 years and is known as a "pillar in the community."

If the defendant makes bail, the judge ordered him to stay away from the dance hall at 4120 Alpha St.

The judge scheduled a status conference for next Wednesday and a preliminary hearing for Aug. 1.

Ragen said outside court that he hoped Gordon could make bail soon with the help of family and friends.

Berry told reporters outside court that the Crime Victims Compensation Fund would pay for the victim's funeral expenses because his wife and children would be destitute without the financial help.