A 17-year-old Lakewood youth pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a charge of murder for the shooting death of a 20-year-old Hawaiian Gardens man gunned down near El Dorado Park earlier this year.
The defendant, Tyrell Ainsworth, was arrested by Long Beach police in mid-February and charged with one count of murder and one count of personal use of a firearm.
Though he is a juvenile, prosecutors charged Ainsworth as an adult, which means he faces the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted on all counts.
Ainsworth appeared briefly at the Long Beach Superior Court Wednesday, entering his not guilty plea and agreeing to waive time to have his preliminary hearing set for April 14.
The teen wore a Los Angeles County issued orange top and pants over what looked like sweats, a typical uniform for juvenile inmates.
Though he is being tried as an adult, Ainsworth must still be held at a juvenile detention center and he must be kept away from adult inmates, authorities explained.
Long Beach homicide investigators began looking into the case when the body of the victim, James Antonio Withers, was found in the 2300 block of Vuelta Grande Avenue around 1:05 a.m. on Feb. 7 after residents reported a person lying in the street.
The victim was shot in the upper body, police said.
The investigation found Withers and the suspect were acquaintances and that they had attended a function outside of Long Beach prior to the shooting.
The shooting happened after the two young men went to the Eastside neighborhood and got into an argument, police said.
Authorities declined to say what the argument was about or why the pair were in the normally quiet area just blocks from El Dorado Park.
Ainsworth, meanwhile, is being held at a county juvenile hall without bail while he awaits his trial.
The defendant, Tyrell Ainsworth, was arrested by Long Beach police in mid-February and charged with one count of murder and one count of personal use of a firearm.
Though he is a juvenile, prosecutors charged Ainsworth as an adult, which means he faces the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted on all counts.
Ainsworth appeared briefly at the Long Beach Superior Court Wednesday, entering his not guilty plea and agreeing to waive time to have his preliminary hearing set for April 14.
The teen wore a Los Angeles County issued orange top and pants over what looked like sweats, a typical uniform for juvenile inmates.
Though he is being tried as an adult, Ainsworth must still be held at a juvenile detention center and he must be kept away from adult inmates, authorities explained.
Long Beach homicide investigators began looking into the case when the body of the victim, James Antonio Withers, was found in the 2300 block of Vuelta Grande Avenue around 1:05 a.m. on Feb. 7 after residents reported a person lying in the street.
The victim was shot in the upper body, police said.
The investigation found Withers and the suspect were acquaintances and that they had attended a function outside of Long Beach prior to the shooting.
The shooting happened after the two young men went to the Eastside neighborhood and got into an argument, police said.
Authorities declined to say what the argument was about or why the pair were in the normally quiet area just blocks from El Dorado Park.
Ainsworth, meanwhile, is being held at a county juvenile hall without bail while he awaits his trial.
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