Marcella Corona

mcorona@rgj.com

A man accused of shooting a 13-year-old boy in the head in a drive-by last year was sentenced, according to the Sparks Police Department.

Jimmy Lopez-Valadez, 35, pleaded guilty to two charges including discharging a firearm into a structure and discharging a firearm from a vehicle.

Lopez-Valadez as sentenced to a minimum of 15 months and a maximum of 72 months for discharging a firearm into a structure. He was also sentenced to 72 months to 180 months on the second charge, Sparks police said in a news release on Thursday. The sentences are expected to run consecutively, police said.

Man arrested in Sparks drive-by; boy was shot in head

On Sept. 20, 2015, Sparks police officers responded to a call of a boy shot inside an apartment on 4005 Moor Park Ct. Upon arrival, they found Eduardo Barajas-Poti had been shot in the head.

The boy was taken to a hospital where he was listed in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, police said. Since the shooting, he recovered and is doing well, Sparks Police Lt. Rocky Triplett said in an email on Thursday.

Investigators said they believe Eduardo was inside his apartment when someone fired a single round through the wall when he was hit. Detectives found that the family was not intentionally targeted and that the shooting was random.

Sparks police: Boy playing video games, shot in head





“The members of the Sparks Police Department would like to thank Secret Witness and the citizens of the community for all the assistance in this case,” authorities said in a statement Thursday. “This case was solved and successfully prosecuted because a concerned, conscientious citizen called Secret Witness with the information that lead to the identity and prosecution of Mr. Lopez-Valadez.”

Marcella Corona covers breaking news for the Reno Gazette-Journal. Contact her at 775-788-6340, email her at mcorona@rgj.com or follow her on Twitter at @Marcella_Anahi or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Marcella.Anahi