Man to stand trial in shooting death of friend

A 21-year-old man accused of shooting and killing his friend during a fight outside a house party is headed for trial in District Court.

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Karen Bennett-Haron on Monday ruled there was enough evidence to send Eric Sandoval to District Court, where he will face charges of murder, attempted murder with a deadly weapon and battery with substantial bodily harm.

She dismissed one count of carrying a concealed weapon.

Sandoval is accused of killing 19-year-old Nester Lee and wounding five others on Aug. 30 outside a house on Spring Arts Avenue, near Alexander Road and Durango Drive.

Authorities said Sandoval fired shots at the party after a fight broke out between two groups of people outside the party.

During a preliminary hearing Monday, Sandoval's friend Cristian Murillo, 22, said Sandoval was trying to shoot another man when he accidentally shot his friend Lee in the chest.

Immediately after the shooting, Sandoval said "My bad, man. My bad," according to Murillo.

Sandoval's attorney, William "Bill" Terry, said it was clear that Sandoval never meant to hurt Lee, his friend.

"This was an accidental shooting," Terry said.

But prosecutors said Sandoval meant to shoot and kill another man when he fired the gun.

"Poor marksmanship is not a defense," said Deputy District Attorney Marc Schifalacqua, adding that after he shot Lee he shot and wounded five others.

During the hearing, Bennett-Haron declined to reduce Sandoval's bail from $500,000 to $100,000 as Terry requested.

Sandoval is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 23.

Contact reporter David Kihara at dkihara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.