2 Plead No Contest To Shooting Boy In Azusa

POMONA, Calif. (AP) — Two men have pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter for shooting a 6-year-old boy who was playing in his family's driveway in Azusa.
 
Prosecutors say 20-year-old Mathew Loza of West Covina, who fired the shot that killed Jessie Valencia in January, was immediately sentenced to 14 years in prison on Tuesday.

His co-defendant, 21-year-old Richard Gomez, who lived across the street from the boy, has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Prosecutors say the men had a Winchester rifle that belonged to Gomez's father. Loza aimed the gun across the street and pulled the trigger, killing Valencia with a single shot.

The men were initially charged with murder, but prosecutors said evidence indicates that they didn't know the gun was loaded.

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