Youth Guilty in Slaying of 10-Year-Old

A San Fernando Superior Court jury found a Pacoima teen-ager guilty of second-degree murder Wednesday in the shooting death of a 10-year-old boy near Pacoima Park.

The 17-year-old youth was originally charged with first-degree murder in the killing July 19 of Alejandro Salazar. But after deliberating a day and a half, jurors decided the shooting was not premeditated.

The Pacoima youth showed no emotion when the verdict was read.

The teen-ager, who was tried as an adult, testified last week that he fired his gun only to scare away gang members he believed were beating up a neighborhood youth. He said he had heard that two members of the Crips gang had been fighting with a 14-year-old friend. He said he did not mean for a bullet to strike the Salazar boy. The 10-year old died after a bullet struck him in the back of the head as he stood near a group of children.

One of the two gang members, Otis Thomas, testified that he thought the 14-year-old was a member of the Bloods, a rival gang, because he was wearing red sweat pants, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Edward Nison.

Thomas said he later saw initials in the 14-year-old’s baseball cap that signified he was a member of a gang friendly with the Crips, Nison said. Thomas told authorities he and the other man returned to the Pacoima Park area to apologize and return the cap, Nison said.

As the two headed toward their car after confronting the 14-year-old, the 17-year-old fired several shots, one of which ricocheted off the street and struck the Salazar boy, said defense attorney James Coady.

Sentencing is scheduled Aug. 9. The youth could be sentenced to from 17 years to life in prison.