A man on Friday was sentenced to 13 years in prison for fatally shooting a 16-year-old boy at a party last year, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said.

Officials say Dillon Archuleta, 22, fatally shot Jesse Abrega during a party at a Phoenix apartment on March 27, 2016.

While officers were responding to complaints about the party, they heard gunshots coming from inside and saw dozens of people fleeing the apartment, said Amanda Jacinto, county attorney spokeswoman. 

Abrega came out of the apartment, telling officers he had been shot. He later died at the scene.

No one else at the party was injured by the gunshots, Jacinto said.

Investigators identified Archuleta as the suspect, with Archuleta admitting to firing shots but telling officers he was only aiming at a wall and fired in an attempt to stop a fight involving a friend, Jacinto said.

Archuleta was convicted on a second-degree murder charge.  

“Today’s sentencing holds this defendant accountable for his actions and the young life he cut short, however nothing will undo the grief and loss suffered by the victim’s family and friends,” said Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery in a prepared statement.
 

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