Fifth teen pleads guilty in shooting near Iowa school

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Another teenager accused in a fatal shooting near an Iowa high school has admitted to the crime, marking the fifth guilty plea among the 10 people charged.

Daniel Hernandez, 18, pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree murder and two counts of malicious wounding, the Des Moines Register reported. He had previously been charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of willful wounding.

Ten teenagers have been charged in the March 7 shooting outside East High School in Des Moines. José Lopez, 15, died. Her sister, Jessica Lopez, 16, and Kemery Ortega, 18, were seriously injured. José Lopez was not a student at the school, but the two injured teens were.

Eight defendants were initially charged as adults with first-degree murder and other crimes, while the other two were bound over to juvenile court. The accused were aged between 14 and 18 at the time of the offenses.

Hernandez told a court hearing Friday that he was involved in a “caravan” of three vehicles that fired shots as they drove past the school. He did not say what triggered the gunfire. The victims were near a sidewalk when they were struck.

The first suspect convicted was 16-year-old Kevin Martinez, who pleaded guilty to intimidation with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Two other suspects pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and other charges. Another pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and weapons charges.