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Teen charged as adult with manslaughter in Phoenix shooting

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Posted at 3:09 PM, May 29, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-29 18:09:56-04

PHOENIX (AP) - Police in Phoenix say a teenager is being charged as an adult and facing manslaughter in a fatal shooting.

They say the 17-year-old boy accidentally shot his friend while riding in a pickup truck Monday night with two other men.

Police say the boy was a passenger behind the driver's seat and was handling a handgun when it discharged.

They say 18-year-old Alexander Cota-Torres was driving the truck and was shot in the back through the seat.

Cota-Torres later was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The name of the teen is being withheld by The Associated Press because he's a juvenile.

Police say the two men both are facing a charge of tampering with evidence for allegedly trying to hide the gun in one of their homes after the shooting.