A man convicted of fatally shooting an acquaintance in the victim's driveway in East County was sentenced in court Tuesday.
Vincent Frank Pedersen, age 44, received 25 years to life in prison after he was convicted of second-degree murder, confirmed prosecutors. The deadly shooting took place by the victim's home in the Bostonia neighborhood of northeast El Cajon.
Deputies were called at about 10 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4 in 2016 to investigate reports of an assault in front of a home on Oro Street by Greenfield Drive, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO).
When deputies arrived, they discovered a 34-year-old man lying in the driveway of the home, suffering from trauma to his upper body. The man was still alive at this point, but he sustained serious injuries. Deputies began treating the man, as paramedics rushed to the scene.
.@SDSheriff Homicide detectives tell me this is the 28th homicide in 2016, the highest rate of homicides in a decade for their jurisdiction pic.twitter.com/EMnExjKiQu
— Ramon Galindo (@RamonGalindoNBC) November 5, 2016
The victim was taken to a local hospital where he died a short time later, deputies said. Pedersen was arrested at a house down the street from the crime scene.
Neighbors watched deputies swarm the house where the victim was found and dozens of patrol cars from the sheriff's department remained on the street overnight with crime scene investigators.
Some neighbors told NBC 7 that the incident happened in an otherwise quiet, peaceful neighborhood. But they described "unwanted activity" and a "drug situation" that went on at the house where the victim was found for years.
The victim's identity has not been released. SDSO homicide detectives said this case marked the 28th homicide in their jurisdiction this year. That's the highest rate of homicides they've experienced in a decade.
