California man pleads no contest after shooting left 17-year-old blind in one eye
By Ricardo Tovar
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SEASIDE, California (KSBW) — A Seaside man pleaded no contest in connection with a shooting that left a teenager permanently blind in one eye, Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni said.
Reginald Leon Williams, 23, pleaded no contest to one count of mayhem, admitted a firearm enhancement and admitted to a prior strike conviction for a shooting he committed in Seaside in March 2025, according to Pacioni.
Williams will receive 20 years in prison at his sentencing on October 28, 2026, Pacioni said.
On March 2, 2025, Williams learned about planned one-on-one fights between minors in Seaside. He told a fellow gang member, who was 16 years old, that he would attend and back up the teens affiliated with his gang.
Pacioni said about 20 people showed up for the fights at Beta Park later that day. After the one-on-one fights, a group fight broke out among the attendees.
Williams arrived during the group fight in a vehicle driven by his girlfriend. He exited the vehicle to participate in the fight and returned to the vehicle a few minutes later, according to Pacioni.
“Williams’ girlfriend drove about 200 feet away from the group fight, and Williams ordered her to stop the vehicle. Williams then exited and fired four shots at the fight attendees who remained behind at Beta Park,” Pacioni said.
One of the gunshots struck a 17-year-old boy in the head. He was airlifted to Stanford, where he was hospitalized for more than a month and underwent multiple surgeries.
The shooting left the teenager permanently blind in one eye, according to Pacioni.
Pacioni added that Williams rented a motel room in Monterey after the shooting. Less than 24 hours later, authorities identified his vehicle using license plate reader cameras.
Authorities located his vehicle at the motel and searched his room, where they found the firearm used in the shooting, according to Pacioni.
“Williams has a prior juvenile strike adjudication for attempted armed carjacking and prior felony convictions for attempted oral copulation of a minor and firearm possession,” Pacioni said.
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