A second alleged gang member has been charged with murder in the shooting death of a U.S. Army veteran in Sylmar earlier this month, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.
Jerry Raymond Carmona, 26, pleaded not guilty Monday to one count each of murder and attempted murder.
Co-defendant Vincent Anthony Estrada, 18, faces the same charges, along with a count of discharge of a firearm with gross negligence. The criminal complaint also alleges that the crimes were committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang.
The two are charged in the Nov. 9 shooting death of former soldier Francisco Garcia, 21, who was shot while with a group of people near Sylmar High School, according to Deputy District Attorney Tom Trainor.
Garcia’s shooting had “nothing to do with his military service,” according to Los Angeles police Lt. Paul Vernon. “There was a long-simmering dispute between rival tagger groups or within the same group,” he said.
Carmona and Estrada are due back in a San Fernando courtroom on Dec. 18, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require them to stand trial.
If convicted as charged, the two each face a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
— City News Service