CLEARLAKE, Calif. – One of the three suspects in a shooting that killed a little boy and injured five others made his second court appearance on Tuesday, pleading not guilty to more than a dozen counts against him.

Paul William Braden, 21, of Clearlake Oaks appeared with his defense attorney, Jacob Zamora, before Judge Stephen Hedstrom in Lake County Superior Court's Clearlake division Tuesday afternoon, according to District Attorney Don Anderson.

Anderson said Braden pleaded not guilty to all of the counts against him, as well as a number of special allegations.

Braden is one of three men accused of opening fire on a family and their friends at a residence on Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake late on the night of Saturday, June 18.

He was charged last week with one count of murder for the death of 4-year-old Skyler Rapp; and five counts of attempted murder for shooting Desiree Kirby, 22, Skyler Rapp's mother, along with her 25-year-old boyfriend, Ross Sparks and his brother, Andrew Sparks, 23, as well as Ian Griffith, 19, and Joey Armijo, 15.

Braden also faces six counts of assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of mayhem and special allegations including personally using and discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury, the District Attorney's Office previously reported.

Each attempted murder charge carries a potential life sentence, and the special allegations also could carry 25-years-to-life prison terms, Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff said last week.

Hinchcliff said the prosecution will not be a death penalty case because the evidence doesn't support any of the 22 required conditions for capital prosecution.

State law sets out standards that require prosecutors prove conditions that include lying in wait; gang affiliation; torture; killing of a law enforcement officer, political leader, judge or witness; and drive-by shootings, among numerous other scenarios.

Charged last week along with Braden was Kevin Ray Stone, 29, of Clearlake, who is still at large.

Acting Clearlake Police Chief Craig Clausen indicated Tuesday afternoon that he had no updates yet on the efforts to locate and arrest Stone.

Braden's arraignment came several hours after a third suspect in the case, 23-year-old Orlando Joseph Lopez, was rearrested, as Lake County News has reported.

Lopez and Braden both had been arrested on June 20, with Lopez released from the Lake County Jail late last week as investigators continued to work to build a case against him.

On Tuesday morning, Clearlake Police Det. Tom Clements picked Lopez up after he was able to assemble the needed evidence to charge him, according to Hinchcliff.

Lopez is being held in the Lake County Jail with bail set at $1,510,000. His booking records indicate he is to appear in court for arraignment on Thursday, June 30.

 

Braden's preliminary hearing has been set for Aug. 1, Anderson said.

Anderson – who indicated he will be handling the prosecution of Braden, Lopez and Stone – said it's too early to tell if all of the men will be tried together.

“We just don't know yet,” he said.

The Clearlake Police Department also is continuing it extensive work on the case, he said.

The victims who survived the shooting are continuing their own work along the road to recovery.

On Tuesday, UC Davis Medical Center spokesman Charles Casey said Kirby, the most seriously injured of the survivors, was listed in fair condition.

Ian Griffith and Andrew Sparks were discharged late last week, according to Casey.

Ross Sparks had been discharged a few days after the shooting and Armijo had been treated and released at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, as Lake County News has reported.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .