Man Pleads Guilty in Shooting of Coach, Student
A South Los Angeles man pleaded guilty to a May 17 shooting at Palisades High School that wounded a football coach and a student.
Superior Court Judge Judith Abrams sentenced Sheldon Pearce, 21, to eight years in state prison for firing a handgun into a crowd. Coach Ron Price, 62, and student Vontray Gardner, 18, suffered minor leg wounds.
Pearce, who plead guilty to two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, allegedly told police he went to the school to protect his younger brother, a Palisades student, from gang threats.
Pearce and two teenage suspects were arrested soon after the shooting and a brief chase.
With 2,500 students, Palisades High has consistently ranked among the safest schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, according to Principal Linda Hosford.
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