SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - A man accused of killing a 16-year-old South Lake Tahoe boy was charged with second-degree murder Monday in an El Dorado County Superior Court.
Thomas O'Connor, 23, of South Lake Tahoe, allegedly shot Brad Parent in the chest Wednesday while showing off a .38-caliber handgun he was issued by a security company where he was employed. O'Connor knew the weapon was loaded but told police the shooting was an accident.
Parent was killed in O'Connor's apartment on D Street where he was a guest.
After Parent was injured, O'Connor - and three teenage girls who were also in the apartment - carried Parent to a car and drove him to Barton Memorial Hospital where doctors were unable to save his life.
A charge of second-degree murder implies that the District Attorney's Office believes O'Connor's act showed malice and a conscious disregard for human life when he shot Parent.
"Our assessment is that this is the appropriate charge," said Assistant District Attorney Hans Uthe.
If convicted, O'Connor faces a prison sentence of 15 years to life.