2nd teen pleads guilty in fatal shooting at Mishawaka's Central Park
SOUTH BEND — A second teenager has accepted a plea deal in connection to a 2020 shooting at Mishawaka's Central Park that left one person dead and another injured.
Daniel Allen, 19, on Thursday pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery in a drug deal gone wrong, which led to the death of 18-year-old Vincenzo Trozzy. Allen testified at the trial of Tayshawn Malcyznski, another teen connected to the killing, and as part of the plea deal, prosecutors have dismissed one charge of murder and another count of attempted murder.
Allen, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was part of a group of five people who planned to rob Trozzy and a 17-year-old named Joseph McFarland, who was with Trozzy at the time. According to trial testimony, Trozzy connected with Malczynski on social media on Dec. 15, 2020, to sell some marijuana, though neither party knew the other. Both groups parked near the basketball courts, and Malczynski got out of his car to walk over and talk to Trozzy and McFarland.
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According to court documents and testimony, Allen had an AK-47 rifle during the interaction and approached Trozzy and McFarland's car while Malczynski was talking to the pair.
The realization he was being robbed caused McFarland to reach for his own gun, he said, which in turn caused Allen to shoot from his position near the side of Trozzy and McFarland's car. After Allen fired a single round, Malczynski then opened fire, hitting Trozzy in the temple and McFarland in the arm.
After multiple days of evidence in July, a St. Joseph County jury found Malczynski guilty of attempted murder but was unable to reach a verdict on charges of murder and attempted armed robbery. Malczynski later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, instead of murder, and prosecutors dropped the attempted robbery charge. Malczynski is set for sentencing in late October and faces between 35 and 90 years in prison.
Allen testified during Malczynski's trial while his case remained open, and prosecutors two weeks ago appeared ready to enter into a plea agreement with the teenager. On Thursday, Allen pleaded guilty before St. Joseph Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Hurley. He will be sentenced in early October, when Hurley will hear arguments from the state and Allen's lawyers on what his sentence should be.
Per Indiana sentencing guidelines, attempted armed robbery is a Level 2 Felony that carries a sentence of between 10 and 30 years.
Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com. Follow him on Twitter: @marek_mazurek
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Mishawaka Central Park fatal shooting: 2nd teen pleads guilty
