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Lodian pleads no contest in friend's shooting; may face two years in prison
A 19-year-old Lodi man who accidentally shot his friend in the face pleaded no contest Friday to assault with a firearm and possession of stolen property.
Austin Noori could face up to two years in state prison for the conviction, which counts as his first strike under California's three-strikes law, said Deputy District Attorney Janet Williams.
Noori and the victim, Joshua House, 19, were hanging out with friends and playing drinking games in a Rutledge Drive home on the night of Sept. 20. Noori was holding the gun and allegedly pointed it at House before the gun went off.
The bullet from the .40-caliber handgun struck House's cheek, exited through his neck and just missed striking another friend.
House spent more than a week at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, undergoing several surgeries.
The gun belonged to Noori's father, who discovered only after the shooting that it was missing.
Noori, who was on probation for several misdemeanor convictions including disturbing a school campus and marijuana possession, remains in jail.
He was not sentenced Friday but a judge will instead wait for a San Joaquin County probation officer to gather information on Noori's background and prepare a report recommending a sentence.
That sentence could range from probation to two years in prison, and a judge is scheduled to hand down that sentence on Dec. 4.
The 19-year-old will now have a serious felony on his record for life, Williams said. Because it is a strike, a future serious felony conviction could be punishable with a sentence double the normal length.
Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.

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