CALDWELL -- A Greenleaf man accused of shooting a teenage boy during a botched robbery earlier this year will proceed to trial next month.
Isaiah Zuniga, 21, faces multiple felony charges in connection to the March 28 incident.
Police say Zuniga went to the 17-year-old victim's home on Arrowhead Drive in Caldwell planning to force him to hand over cash and marijuana. According to court documents, he told an associate that he would use a .22 handgun to scare the teen into opening up a safe.
But according to a witness who spoke to detectives, the victim attempted to rush Zuniga when the suspect confronted him with the gun outside his house. Prosectors Zuniga shot the teen before making his getaway in a waiting car.
The 17-year-old was rushed in critical condition to the hospital, where he underwent surgery for a fractured spine, broken rib, broken shoulder and pierced lungs. He has since been released from the hospital, police say.
Zuniga was arrested not long after the shooting, along with three people police say also played roles in the attempted robbery. He is charged with aggravated battery, conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to traffic in marijuana, possession of a weapon by a felon and a possible sentencing enhancement for use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.
The suspect has pleaded not guilty, and remains held in the Canyon County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
Zuniga's trial is set to begin Sept. 27. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.
