Raymond Lizama Saralu walks to Courtroom 220 with a Corrections officer on Aug. 7, 2023.
RAYMOND Lizama Saralu, the former police officer whose government-issued firearm accidentally went off and seriously injured his then-seven-year-old nephew, was sentenced to five years in prison, with the first year to be served and the remaining four years suspended. Saralu was also given credit for two months and 15 days of time served.
In May 2024, Saralu, 28, pled guilty to the offense of storage of firearm as charged in Count I of the third amended information filed by the Office of the Attorney General.
At a sentencing hearing on Wednesday, Saralu appeared before Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho in the custody of the Department of Corrections and was represented by Assistant Public Defender Emily Thomsen. Chief Prosecutor Chester Hinds appeared for the government.
Saralu, who has no prior criminal history, told the court that the incident was an accident.
According to the pre-sentence investigation report, the child is partially blind on the left eye; his speech is slurred and he has no muscle control in his face.
“Child able to eat and drink normally. There was a bullet entry wound but no exit wound. Most of the bullet was removed but some small bullet fragments remain inside the child’s cheeks and face the doctors are reluctant to remove due to risk. The child has emotional and mood swings,” the pre-sentence investigation report stated.
The mother of the victim, Olympia Marcelo, said “she is having financial difficulties with medical bills amounting to $75,843.60. The defendant and his family did conduct a fundraiser and gave $6,012 to help.”
Marcelo stated that the defendant “is a good person but as a police officer [he] should have known better. Though she would like to see the defendant get the maximum sentence, she also would like [him] to help with the restitution.”
In his eight-page sentencing and commitment order, Judge Camacho said Saralu will be eligible for parole after serving 1/3 of the unsuspended sentence.
“If granted parole by the Board of Parole, in addition to any other conditions imposed by the Board of Parole, the defendant shall be employed, and a portion of his salary shall pay for restitution of the victim’s medical expenses,” Judge Camacho said.
Saralu will also be placed on probation for five years immediately after the completion of his first-year sentence.
He was ordered to pay court and probation fee of $145, and restitution in the amount of $75,843.60.
Saralu was ordered not to own or possess any firearms and/or ammunition while serving his sentence or while on probation.
According to the judgment of conviction, Saralu unlawfully kept a firearm in his residence in Kagman III.
The information filed by the Office of the Attorney General stated that the defendant “failed to secure a firearm identified as a Glock 19 Gen5 9mm, to ensure that unauthorized persons did not have access to it in his dwelling, nor was it disabled with trigger, locked in a container, carried on the person of an individual over the age of 21….” Moreover, “the unsecured government-issued firearm did harm and cause serious bodily injuries to the minor victim.”
Judge Camacho said, “An accident is not the same as being irresponsible. An accident is something you have no control over, being irresponsible is when you can do something about it, but you did not. You were irresponsible when you left your gun unsecured and young children found the firearm that resulted in this tragic situation.”
The judge also requested the Department of Public Safety commissioner “to conduct an inspection to make sure that each DPS officer that has a government-issued firearm has a gun lock or gun safe.”
