LA sheriff's deputy pleads no contest to killing Sylmar man in 2012

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A former Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy has pleaded no contest to killing a man in Sylmar who had been involved in a fight with the deputy's son in 2012, officials said.

Francisco Gamez II, 45, entered a plea to one count of second-degree murder as well as one count of attempted murder for also shooting at a neighbor during the incident.

He was immediately sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The incident happened on Father's Day, June 17, 2012.

Officials at the time said Gamez was off-duty when he had gotten a phone call from his then-20-year-old son about a confrontation with neighbors.

Gamez responded and then at some point shot and killed Armando Casillas, 38, just steps from the home of the victim's parents.

He also shot at a neighbor, who was able to escape uninjured, officials said.

After an investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department, Gamez was arrested about five months after the shooting.

At the time he was initially charged, officials said he could have faced 75 years to life in state prison.

Gamez was a 17-year veteran of the LASD and had worked most recently as a detective in West Hollywood before he was taken off duty when the investigation began.