Local News in Brief : Youth Sent to Prison for 17 Years in Slaying
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A reputed gang member has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for the shooting death of a 10-year-old boy near Pacoima Park.
Joaquin Garcia, 18, was also sentenced Friday to an additional three years in prison for possession of homemade knives found in his jail cell.
A San Fernando Superior Court jury convicted Garcia in July in the fatal shooting of Alejandro Salazar. The child died after a ricocheting bullet struck him in the back of the head as he played with a group of children near Pacoima Park on July 19, 1987.
Garcia testified that he had fired his .25-caliber automatic pistol to scare away two rival gang members who he believed were beating up a 14-year-old friend.
According to police, Garcia fired several shots in the direction of the gang members, one of which ricocheted off the street and struck Salazar.
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