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A jury Thursday found Elton Gastelum, 24, guilty of murder for his role in a 2021 shooting attack on a Southeast sa国际传媒官网网页入口 party that took the life of a 16-year-old boy.

Jurors found that Gastelum was among a group of gunmen who fired nearly 200 shots at an apartment at 500 Tennessee SE, where a party was underway.

Gabriel Garcia was shot in the back of the head and died at the scene.

Police recovered 192 shell casings in the parking lot outside the apartment, which was riddled with bullet holes that penetrated both the outer and inner walls. Witnesses said partygoers hit the floor to avoid the gunfire, which continued about eight minutes.

Garcia apparently was not the intended target of the attack, prosecutors said.

鈥淭his was a senseless act of violence that stole the life of a young boy with his whole future ahead of him,鈥� Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman said in a statement. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 verdict delivers accountability and justice for Gabriel and his family.鈥�

The first-degree felony murder conviction requires Gastelum to serve at least 30 years before he becomes eligible for parole. The 2nd Judicial District Court jury also found him guilty of additional felonies that could add up to 31 years to his sentence. Judge Cindy Leos scheduled his sentencing hearing for Friday.

Jurors began deliberating late Wednesday and reached the verdicts at about 2 p.m. Thursday on the fourth day of trial.

Prosecutors alleged Gastelum was one of six men who entered the parking lot shortly after midnight on Aug. 28, 2021, and opened fire on the party. sa国际传媒官网网页入口 police found Garcia dead inside the apartment, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

The gunfire also injured Isaac Gonzales, another person in the apartment, who was struck in the arm and chest. Jurors convicted Gastelum of aggravated battery in Gonzales鈥� shooting.

"It's surprising that Gabriel and Isaac were the only ones shot that day," Assistant District Attorney Emilie Edmonds told jurors Wednesday in closing statements.

Attorneys sparred in closing arguments over the strength of the evidence and testimony offered by prosecutors during the trial.

Key evidence included a photo taken at a park sometime after the shootings that showed Gastelum and others holding firearms, including co-defendants who have pleaded guilty to their roles in the shooting. Gastelum was holding an AR-style rifle that prosecutors said he used during the attack.

Defense attorney Richard Pugh argued that the photo provided no proof that Gastelum participated in the shootings, which Pugh said occurred hours before the photo was taken at a different location.

Gastelum was one of six men charged and was the first to face trial in Garcia's killing.

Dominic Baca, 23, is charged with first-degree murder and other charges and is scheduled for trial in June.

Three other co-defendants have entered pleas of guilty or no contest: Santos Veronica and Francisco Rodriguez, both 23, and Johnny Lopez, 22. Lawrence Ramirez-Casiquito, 22, pleaded no contest to two counts of conspiracy but has since filed a motion to rescind his plea.