12-year-old boy shot in Ukiah taken off life support

A 12-year-old Ukiah boy has died five days after he was shot in the backyard of a south ?Ukiah home, allegedly by a 19-year-old who was waving a loaded gun around kids, authorities said Thursday.

The boy, whose name has not been released, was taken off life support on Tuesday, sheriff’s Capt. Greg Van Patten said.

The suspected shooter, Jaime Rodriguez, 19, of Ukiah, was arraigned Wednesday on an upgraded charge of involuntary manslaughter, with a special allegation that he personally used a firearm, said Mike Geniella, spokesman for the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office. If convicted, he faces a maximum of four years in jail.

He was arrested last week on suspicion of firing a gun in a grossly negligent manner and willfully causing great bodily harm to a child.

Rodriguez was in the backyard of the Canyon Drive home with the boy and another juvenile just after midnight on June 18 when he allegedly produced a handgun and started to “manipulate” it, deputies said. Investigators have been told the gun was being “waved” around by Rodriguez before it went off, Geniella said.

The gun discharged, striking the victim in the face and neck area at near point-blank range.

Rodriguez carried the boy to the street and a neighbor called 911.

The victim may be a relative of Rodriguez, according to residents of the Canyon Drive home. Neither the victim nor Rodriguez lived in the home, according to its residents. A girl living there said her brother was in the yard with them when the gun fired.

The boy was transported to Ukiah Valley Medical Center, where he was stabilized before being flown to another hospital, officials said.

Investigators are continuing to examine the incident, Geniella said.

Rodriguez recently failed to show up to court hearings related to suspected incidents of burglary, hit-and-run, being under the influence of a controlled substance, and driving under the influence and resisting arrest, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MendoReporter.