Moss Landing DA Declines Charges in Teen Killings

Monterey County prosecutors say they will not charge 18-year-old Donald Breeden in the Moss Landing shooting that killed 13-year-old Nathaniel Flores and 15-year-old Marco Antonio Perez and wounded another person. District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni said evidence was insufficient, particularly because witnesses gave conflicting accounts of which group fired first, making it difficult to disprove a claim of self-defense. Investigators said the shooting followed a beach-party dispute between people from Salinas and Greenfield that escalated into gang insults and threats; some allegations of theft and vandalism were supported by witness statements and physical evidence. The investigation remains ongoing.