A man who admitted to lying to a 911 dispatcher that he was robbed at gunpoint, leading responding police to fatally shoot an unarmed man in Pasadena, Calif., took a plea deal for three months in jail, authorities said.
Oscar Carillo called police after his backpack was snatched from him near a taco truck on the street. He wanted police to respond quickly, so he called 911 and lied that the thief had pulled a gun on him.
Responding officers shot and killed unarmed 19-year-old Kendrec McDade, believing he had a gun.
Carillo, an immigrant from Mexico who faces the possibility of deportation upon his release, said he didn't feel as though it was his fault.
"I don't feel guilty about anything," Carillo said. "Only God knows, I don't do anything. I feel sorry. Nobody deserves to die."
Pasadena City Attorney Michelle Bagneris said Carillo's case should serve as an example for people who report false information to police.
"There are serious, potentially serious consequences when people make false reports," she said. "It's a threat to public safety, a drain to public resources."
The McDade family lawyer said prosecutors should have filed more serious, felony charges and tried to put Carillo away for longer.
"The recent slap on the wrist of Mr. Carrillo serves as yet another disappointment to the McDade family following the failure of the District Attorney's office to charge him with a felony."
Carillo might not be deported immediately, as he is named as a defendant in a lawsuit that McDade's family has filed against the city.
Carillo said the case has weighed on him heavily.
"Sometimes I feel sad," Carillo said. "But then I look at my kids. I feel better."
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