Simi Man Charged in Teen’s Fatal Shooting

A 50-year-old Simi Valley man was charged with voluntary manslaughter Friday in the fatal shooting of a teenager who was fumbling with a padlocked gate outside the defendant’s automotive shop last week.

Edward Nishida Drake requested that his arraignment be postponed for two weeks, at which time he is expected to answer the charge and an additional allegation that he used a deadly firearm in the Oct. 10 shooting.

Drake is accused of firing a .44-caliber revolver once at 17-year-old Leonard Anthony Coppola, whom police say Drake may have mistaken for a burglar.

Police said Drake apparently did not recognize Coppola, who was 15 feet away.

During a brief court appearance Friday, Drake accepted a public defender to represent him. The charges, which carry a maximum punishment of 21 years in prison, were wrongly filed, his lawyer said.

Assistant Public Defender Duane Dammeyer said Drake’s actions were reasonable and that he should not have been charged.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Calvert declined to discuss why prosecutors decided to charge Drake with voluntary manslaughter rather than a lesser charge or no charge at all.

Drake is being held on $40,000 bail, and his arraignment is set for Oct. 30.