Teen-Ager Arrested in Firing of Stray Shot That Killed Boy, 5

A Wilmington teen-ager who had been spotted firing a handgun into the air has been arrested in the death of a 5-year-old Carson boy who was mortally wounded by a stray bullet 10 days before as he walked with his mother.

The 15-year-old youth was arrested and booked for murder Saturday, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Larry Mead. Because of his age, the suspect’s name was not released.

The victim, Adrian Benitez, was walking with his mother, Martha Benitez, outside their home on March 11 when a stray bullet fell from the sky, striking him in the top of his head. His mother said the boy cried out, “Ay, mommy!” and then fell to the ground. Adrian was on life-support systems for six days before he died.

Mead said witnesses who saw the teen-ager shooting a gun about half a mile from the Benitez home led sheriff’s investigators to the Wilmington youth. Seized during the arrest was a .38-caliber gun that ballistic tests have linked to the Benitez killing, Mead said. It was not known why the teen-ager had been firing the weapon, Mead added.