Pair of Gang Members Sentenced to Life in Prison for Christmas Day Slaying of Beloved Pasadena Coach

Two men were sentenced today to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the Pasadena murder of a civilian Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department employee who was also a beloved local coach on Christmas Day five years ago, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.

Larry Darnell Bishop, 24, and Jerron Donald Harris, 29, were sentenced for the Dec. 25, 2012 killing of Victor McClinton by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Curtis Rappe.

Deputy District Attorney Amy Ashvanian of the Hardcore Gang Division prosecuted the case.

In April 2016, jurors found Bishop and Harris guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder as well as the special circumstance allegation of murder during a drive-by shooting. Gang and gun allegations also were found to be true.

Harris also was convicted of two counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

McClinton, 49, was shot and killed outside his Pasadena home in the 1900 block of Newport Avenue. McClinton, a sheriff’s department technician, was an innocent bystander.

Evidence presented at trial showed that the two defendants intended to kill another person but instead fatally shot McClinton. The second victim was wounded by gunfire and crashed his vehicle into a tree.