Man pleads guilty in gang shooting that killed bystander

BOSTON – Federal prosecutors say a member of the violent Central American street gang MS-13 has admitted to his role in a shooting that had targeted a suspected rival gang member but ended up killing a mother of three.

The U.S. Attorney’s office says 20-year-old Bryan Barillas pleaded guilty Thursday to racketeering conspiracy charges that include murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The Chelsea resident faces 22 years behind bars when he’s sentenced in January if a judge accepts the plea agreement.

In 2014, prosecutors say the Guatemalan national had provided a gun to a co-conspirator, who then used it to shoot at a suspected rival gang member and missed.

The bullet killed a bystander who had been looking out a nearby window of a room she shared with her three children.