Crime & Safety

Teen Charged as an Adult in Killing

Matthew James Zamora is charged with murder in the shooting death of a man in unincorporated Arcadia.

Prosecutors have charged a 17-year-old with murder in the .

The Pasadena Star-News reported Matthew James Zamora will be tried as an adult in the death of 24-year-old Joseph Frank Romero.

District attorney's office spokeswoman Jane Robison told the Star-News that Zamora also faces charges of attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling and resisting arrest, along with a misdemeanor count of escape from arrest.

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The charges include gun use and a gang allegation, Robison added. Zamora is scheduled to appear in court July 11 for arraignment.

The shooting took place around 11:30 a.m. in front of a liquor store at Tyler Avenue and Miloann Street in North El Monte, close to the Arcadia border. Romero was taken to a local trauma center, where he later died of his wounds.

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Investigators say the two apparently had an altercation about an hour before the shooting occurred.

Zamora, whom authorities arrested Sunday morning, remains in custody in lieu of $3.3 million bail.


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