First teen sentenced in deadly drive-by shooting outside Des Moines high school

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) - The first of several teens charged in a deadly March drive-by shooting outside East High School in Des Moines was sentenced on Monday.

Kevin Martinez, 16, of Des Moines, was the driver of one of the vehicles involved in the shooting that killed 15-year-old Jose Lopez and seriously injured two East High School students.

A judge sentenced Martinez to 20 years in prison, calling the crime planned, premeditated and terroristic in nature.

Debra Perez, the mother of the teen that was killed, spoke to the court before the sentencing.

“You guys were not out for a joyride, you guys had planned this. At the end, I don’t win anything with you going to jail or not,” Perez said. “My son is still not coming back.”

Kevin Martinez said he wished the victims hadn’t been hit by the gunfire.

“If I could have done something different that day, I would have talked to the other guys and try to pull them out of the situation,” he said.

Three other teenagers pleaded guilty to lesser charges. The others are awaiting trial.

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