SIMI VALLEY : Man Arrested in Shooting of Youth
Simi Valley police have arrested an 18-year-old man in the shooting of a 17-year-old Sepulveda youth that occurred after an argument.
Terry Kirklin of North Hills in the San Fernando Valley was arrested Tuesday night for assault with a deadly weapon after shooting Leonard Stotmore in the chest, police said.
Stotmore was in serious condition Wednesday in the intensive care unit at Simi Valley Hospital and Health Care Services, a nursing supervisor said.
The shooting occurred at 6:39 p.m. in a house in the 2400 block of Stow Street where Stotmore and Kirklin were visiting. The pair were engaged in horseplay that led to a “silly argument,” Sgt. Andrew McCluskey said witnesses told police. The shooting took place in a bedroom.
Witnesses initially told police that a stranger had stormed into the residence, shot Stotmore and then fled, jumping over a wall, McCluskey said. After more questioning, police determined that Kirklin had fired the handgun at Stotmore, McCluskey said.
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