Man Who Shot Elsinore Resident Sentenced To Jail, Probation

MURRIETA, CA — A 19-year-old man who shot a Lake Elsinore resident during a confrontation on the east side of the city was serving a 10-month jail sentence Friday after pleading guilty to firearm assault and other offenses.

Kenyelo Centeno Guzman of Lake Elsinore admitted the felony count and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations under a plea agreement Thursday with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. In exchange for his admissions, several other charges against Guzman were dismissed.

The plea was announced at the outset of a preliminary hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta. Superior Court Judge Thomas Anderson certified the terms and imposed the jail term, as well as a three-year term of mandatory supervision when the defendant is released from the Byrd Detention Center. He avoided state prison because the judge suspended part of the sentence, according to court records.

Guzman's co-defendant, 41-year-old Belica Guzman, whose relationship to him couldn't be confirmed, is charged with child endangerment. She's free on bond and is due to appear for a felony settlement conference on July 30.

According to Sheriff's Sgt. Jarrod Meissen, shortly after midnight on March 22, Kenyelo Guzman was involved in a possible gang-related confrontation in the 600 block of West Lakeshore Drive, near South Lindsay Street. During the encounter, Kenyelo Guzman pulled a handgun and opened fire on the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, inflicting "multiple gunshot wounds," Meissen said.

He said the defendant fled before patrol deputies converged on the location minutes later.

The victim was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment and has since recovered.

After gathering information at the scene, the investigation was turned over to the sheriff's Gang Task Force, whose members identified Kenyelo Guzman as the assailant, according to Meissen.

An arrest warrant was served on the defendant at an apartment on West Limited Avenue a week later. He was taken into custody without incident. Belica Guzman was also arrested at the residence and booked into the Murrieta jail, but she posted bond and was released hours later.

Kenyelo Guzman had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County, nor is there criminal history associated with Belica Guzman.

—City News Service