Two former El Camino College students who shot two people in Torrance earlier this year with a paintball gun were sentenced to serve prison time on Thursday, Nov. 1.
The man who fired the paintball gun, former EC student Tyler Walters was sentenced to six years in a state prison on charges of mayhem and assault with a deadly weapon to which Walters pleaded no contest, authorities say.
Accomplice and former EC student Lynn Johnson was sentenced to four years in a state prison for one count of felony mayhem after pleading no contest, authorities say. Another accomplice, Gabriella Semana, also pleaded no contest was sentenced to six months in country jail and then three years of probation.
The attacks occurred on Sunday, Feb. 4 around 9:30 p.m. at two separate locations in Torrance. Prosecutors say that Johnson was the driver and Semana was in the passenger seat. Walters fired the paintball gun during both attacks.
One of these attacks resulted in one of the victims, Michael Fejes, being temporarily blinded in one eye. Walters shot Fejes in the eye and Fejes said in an interview with NBC that the assailants were “Laughing, hooting, and hollering” at him while he clutched his bleeding eye in pain.
Later that same day a 14-year-old boy was also attacked with a paintball gun and was hit in the mouth with yellow paint.
All three suspects were caught and arrested for the attacks two days after and police retrieved a paintball gun from their vehicle.
Walter’s defense attorney Rayford Fountain said “I was, you know, hoping for a lesser sentence because he (Tyler Walters) had no priors. That said, the injuries to the victim were very serious. The sentences weren’t grossly unfair considering the circumstances.”
Lead prosecutor on the case Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott said that the sentences were “Fair” and “Severe enough for the heinous crime”.
Bott said that his team of prosecutors, the defense attorneys for the defendants, as well as Michael Fejes were involved in deciding what was a fair sentence. Bott said that they took into account that the suspects had no priors.
Walters and Johnson will have to serve a minimum of 85 percent of their sentences before they become eligible for parole as a result of the mayhem charges, Bott added.
“At the time I’m sure they thought what they were doing was funny, but now they’ve realized their actions had no place in a civilized society” Bott said.
