DES MOINES, Iowa — Another teen from Iowa was given a life sentence on Monday for a fatal drive-by shooting near Des Moines East High School in 2022.
Alex Santiago Perdomo, who is 17 years old, admitted to first-degree murder last year. According to the Polk County prosecutor, he was 15 years old when he was shot. Perdomo will have a chance at freedom. His public defenders did not answer right away when called Monday to give their opinion.
Police say Perdomo was one of 10 teens between the ages of 14 and 18 who drove several cars to a neighborhood near East High School, which is only a half mile from the Iowa Capitol. The teens were armed with at least six guns. The teens shot at Jose Lopez, his sister, one of her friends, and two other teens standing on a nearby path because they were angry. Police say they didn’t say much about their plan.
Lopez, his sister, and their friend were all hit by gunfire. Lopez was killed, and the girls were badly hurt.
Perdomo is the second teen in the group to get a life sentence after pleading guilty to murder in the first degree. If a third teen pleads guilty to first-degree murder, he will be punished next year, after he turns 18.
Four others who admitted to second-degree murder were given jail terms ranging from 20 to 70 years. One person in the group pleaded guilty to giving a gun or revolver to someone under 21 and got four years of their sentence suspended.
Both of the other two defendants were given 20 years in jail for different crimes.
Source: Iowa teen gets life in prison for fatal drive-by shooting near a school
