Gunman who killed Asbury Park boy cries as he's sent to prison

ASBURY PARK — A gunman who mistakenly killed a 10-year-old boy last year when he fired several shots into a home where a rival lived has been sentenced to 25 years in state prison.

Karon Council became emotional when he was sentenced Friday, telling a judge he didn't intend to hurt Yovanni Banos-Merino.

Monmouth County prosecutors say the 19-year-old Neptune resident had been involved in an altercation with a man who lived at the Asbury Park home. When Council couldn't find him there on Feb. 21, he opened fire.

Authorities say one of the shots hit Yovanni Banos-Merino in the shoulder as he hid under his bed. The boy died shortly after the shooting.

Another shot wounded the boy's 38-year-old mother, Lilia Merino. She was treated at a hospital and has recovered.

Karon Council (Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office)