Quinzale Mason was found guilty Thursday by a Washoe County jury of battery with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Judge Elliott Sattler presided over the trial, which began on February 9, 2015. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Zach Young. Chief Deputy Public Defender Carl Hylin represented Mason. The jury deliberated for about two hours before returning the verdicts.
During the trial, the testimony show that on August 9, 2014, Mason lost money to another adult male during a game of dice.
A couple of hours later, Mason drove his vehicle to a nearby apartment complex where the other male lived and pulled into the parking lot.
Upon observing the other male, Mason exited his vehicle with a handgun and immediately shot at the male at least two times. The male was uninjured and ran away, but a bullet ricocheted, striking a 4-year old girl who was playing outside with her mother. The young girl was struck in her right lower leg and transported to a local hospital for treatment. She was discharged in stable condition.
After the shooting, Mason got back into his car and drove away. His vehicle was located abandoned in Sun Valley.
The Reno Police Department, which investigated the case, received a secret witness tip that Mason’s mother was flying into Reno from Arizona the next day to help him flee the area. Officers and detectives conducted surveillance at the airport and identified Mason’s mother as she exited a plane.
Police followed her to a house in Sun Valley, just a few blocks from Mason’s abandoned car. As surveillance continued, Mason exited the house and got into a car with his mother and two other females. The vehicle departed and was stopped by officers.
Mason was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm, based on a 2006 conviction from Las Vegas for voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon. In that case, Mason shot a woman multiple times with a handgun, killing her.
SOURCE: Washoe County DA.
