Covina man charged with involuntary manslaughter in fatal shooting of brother

Prosecutors Thursday charged a Covina man accused of accidentally shooting his brother to death while playing with a handgun with involuntary manslaughter, officials said.
Oswaldo Cibrian, 25, was arrested following the the fatal shooting of Eliazar Mejia, 21, of Covina about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday at an apartment in the 300 block of N. Prospero Drive, authorities said.
The brothers and their cousin, 19-year-old Juan Vasquez of Oregon, were believed to have been drinking when they started passing around a loaded handgun, investigators said. The gun went off, striking Mejia in the face.
Cibrian appeared in Pomona Superior Court Thursday, however he entered no plea and his arraignment was rescheduled for Nov. 29, court officials said.
Cibrian and Vasquez called police to report accidentally shooting Mejia, officials said.
Vasquez was initially arrested on suspicion of murder along with Cibrian, but prosecutors declined to file charges against him, Covina police Sgt. Gregg Peterson said.
According to county booking records, Vasquez was released from jail late Wednesday, while Cibrian remained in custody in lieu of $1 million bail.

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