Man Gets Probation In Vandal’s Death

A man who shot two graffiti vandals, one of them fatally, was placed on three years’ probation Wednesday for carrying a concealed and loaded weapon.

William Andrew Masters, who was convicted last month of two misdemeanor charges, was ordered to remove graffiti for 30 days and participate in a program to observe gunshot victims in hospitals and the coroner’s office.

The district attorney’s office had refused to file felony murder or manslaughter charges, a decision that angered some in the Hispanic community. Outside court, protesters jeered Masters.

“This youth is dead and all this guy is getting is 30 days to remove graffiti,” Quetzal Guerra said.

Masters, 36, claimed he killed Cesar Arce, 18, and wounded David Hillo, 20, in self-defense during a late-night walk Jan. 31 in the San Fernando Valley.