Rashad Kysim Populus, 28, pleaded not guilty Friday, Oct. 16, to first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Shaquilah Kaprise Howard, a 30-year-old Temecula woman.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Judith Clark presided over the arraignment and scheduled a felony settlement conference for Dec. 1 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta. Bail was set at $3 million, City News Service reported.

Beyond the murder charge, Populus faces counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations and parole violations.

Populus, of Los Angeles, is being held at the Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.

The charges stem from a shooting at Howard's apartment in the 28000 block of Colorado Avenue in Temecula. Sgt. Carlos Mendoza of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said Populus was involved in a dispute with Howard at the apartment and allegedly pulled a handgun and shot her.

Sources disagree on the date of the shooting. The City News Service arraignment report, citing Mendoza, places it at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 4. The sheriff's department press release and an earlier Patch report both place it on Monday, Oct. 5.

Witnesses called 911. Deputies found Howard mortally wounded inside the apartment, and paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene, Mendoza said.

Detectives identified Populus as the alleged shooter and tracked him to a residence on Astoria Place in Oxnard, where he was arrested without incident hours later. The Riverside County District Attorney's Gang Impact Team and the sheriff's K-9 Unit assisted.

"Populus had been released on parole on Sept. 24, stemming from a conviction for assault with a firearm," Mendoza said in the initial arrest coverage published Oct. 6. The length of his imprisonment was not disclosed.

No details have been released about what may have triggered the alleged attack or the relationship between Populus and Howard. An earlier Patch report described Populus as believed to be the father of Howard's child, citing authorities.

Anyone with information about the case can contact Central Homicide Unit Investigator Manjarrez at 951-955-2777.