Gang member gets life for boy's killing.

Nearly six years ago, a stray bullet shot and killed a 6-year-old boy while he stood in the kitchen of his East Salinas home.

Azahel Cruz died instantly. His family members found him unconscious on the kitchen floor seconds after that same stray bullet traveled to the back of the apartment, shattering a mirror that sprayed them with glass.

On Wednesday, Bernardo Camacho, the gang member convicted of firing the shot with the intent of hitting rival gang members at a nearby park, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

At the sentencing, Cruz’s mother expressed her appreciation for law enforcement agencies that helped prosecute Camacho, 24, and bring justice to her son.

Monterey County Deputy District Attorney—and congressional hopeful—Jimmy Panetta prosecuted the case.

The shooting death of Cruz is considered among the worst cases in Monterey County and serves as an example of gang warfare directly affecting innocent bystanders, in addition to the lack of cooperation from witnesses that usually occurs with gang-related crimes.

Due to the lack of cooperation, the case went unsolved for several years. And right after the shooting occurred, Camacho escaped to Mexico.

Eventually, witnesses who initially refused to cooperate with authorities and knew about Camacho's admitted involvement, agreed to testify in court. Soon after, Camacho was arrested in Mexico and extradited back to the county in 2013.

While housed at county jail, authorities say Camacho wrote a note detailing his involvement in the drive-by shooting. Edmundo Pulido, the driver of the vehicle, pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to 35 years-to-life in prison