Granger man gets four years on accidental shooting anniversary

YAKIMA, Wash. -- One year to the day, a convicted felon from Granger who found himself in custody after his buddy accidentally shot himself was sentenced Thursday to nearly four years in prison.

Martin Esteban Rios Jr., 28, negotiated a sentence at the low end of the range for his plea in U.S. District Court to a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The case stemmed from a shooting the morning of Feb. 2, 2011, that wounded a man in the 18700 block of Yakima Valley Highway.

Yakima County sheriff's deputies said a man named Isidoro Padilla initially reported he was hit in the chest by a stray bullet while standing on the street corner outside his home.

But evidence at the scene -- including a bullet hole that went through a window from inside the home -- was inconsistent with that account, deputies said.

Padilla, 31, eventually admitted that he was attempting to install a gun lock on a Lorcin model .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol when it went off, hitting him in the chest.

In addition to Padilla, who had a previous felony conviction for identity theft, deputies also arrested Rios at the scene.

According to court records, Rios has an extensive record that includes convictions for drug possession, burglary, car theft and multiple weapons violations.

Both men were jailed on federal marshal holds while awaiting trial. Padilla has also pleaded guilty to a weapons violation in the case and is set for sentencing Feb. 23.

According to his plea agreement, he faces a sentence of between 30-37 months.