VENTURA : Man Pleads Guilty in Shooting of Youth
A Ventura man pleaded guilty Wednesday to premeditated attempted murder for shooting a neighbor in the neck last year.
Brian T. Adams, 22, could face life imprisonment with the possibility of parole when he is sentenced next month. An additional eight years could be added to that sentence because he used a firearm and caused great bodily injury, Deputy Dist. Atty. James D. Ellison said.
Adams forced his way into the Dolphin Court home of Kevin Natale, chased the teen-ager into the kitchen and shot him in the neck with a 9-millimeter handgun purchased days earlier. Adams was wearing latex gloves at the time, Ellison said.
Kevin, 15, survived the shooting but is now paralyzed below the neck.
Adams and the youth got into a dispute after Kevin hit Adams’ car tire with a baseball eight months before the shooting. Adams had harassed Kevin and his family in the months leading up to the shooting, Ellison said.
After his arrest, Adams was twice declared mentally incompetent to stand trial before receiving treatment at Patton State Hospital.
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