Gaslamp Quarter

Man Pleads Guilty to Shooting in Gaslamp That Injured 2 Bystanders

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The man who shot and injured two bystanders in the Gaslamp Quarter in June pleaded guilty to four serious felonies Tuesday in a downtown San Diego courtroom.

Johnza Watson faces 15 years to six months in state prison as part of his plea agreement.

The man accused of shooting two women in the Gaslamp Quarter is scheduled to appear in court. NBC 7โ€™s Nicole Gomez shares details on how the victims, who had no involvement in the fight that prompted the shooting, were bystanders at the wrong place at the wrong time.

In June, when a fight at a bar spilled out onto 5th and F Streets in the Gaslamp, Watson pulled out a gun and fired. He missed his intended target but hit two women from North Carolina who were in town to attend a conference. The bullet first struck Toni Yrlas in the hand, then passed through the torso of her friend and co-worker, Lane Sheer.

Watson pleaded guilty to two felonies related to the women, assault with a semi-automatic firearm and personally inflicting great bodily harm. He pleaded guilty to one felony related to his intended target, which was reduced from attempted murder to involuntary manslaughter, as part of the plea deal. He also pleaded guilty to a robbery that took place in the Gaslamp one week after the shooting.

โ€œHe pled guilty to four violent strike offenses, which means if he commits another strike offense in the future it would dramatically increase his sentence,โ€ said Deputy District Attorney Ted Fiorito.

Watson is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 31.

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