Staff photo / Ed Runyan Saun M. Peterson, left, is seen during his plea hearing Monday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, where he pleaded guilty to reduced charges in the April 15 shooting death of Amya Monserrat, 15, outside of a Southern Boulevard tavern. His attorney, at right, is Michael Kivlighan.

YOUNGSTOWN — Saun M. Peterson, 21, pleaded guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter and other charges in the April 15 shooting death of Amya Monserrat, 15, outside of a Southern Boulevard tavern. Prosecutors are recommending that Peterson get 10 to 12 1/2 years in prison.

The plea eliminates the murder charge Peterson faced, but Peterson has agreed to testify in any criminal proceedings involving his co-defendant, Danyo R. Sellers, whose case remains in Mahoning County Juvenile Court pending a hearing Dec. 4 to determine whether the case will be bound over to adult court. Sellers is also known as Legend Pless, officials have said. Sellers was 16 at the time of Monserrat’s killing.

In addition to involuntary manslaughter, Peterson pleaded guilty before Judge Anthony D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to felonious assault, improper handling a firearm in a motor vehicle and obstructing justice. Peterson was described as the driver of the car in court documents in Youngstown Municipal Court.

Members of Amya’s family were in court Monday for the plea hearing, but when D’Apolito asked whether the family approves of the plea agreement, Amya’s mother sent Amya’s aunt, Patrice West, to speak for her. West said she approved of the agreement.

In April, Sellers entered a “denial” to his charges in juvenile court of murder and three counts of attempted murder in the episode. Denial is the juvenile equivalent to not guilty in adult court.

Each charge also alleges the shooting was a “drive-by,” which would add five years to his sentence if Sellers is convicted. The murder and attempted murder charges are all first-degree felonies.

Amya, a student at Mahoning Valley Christian School on Southern Boulevard, was killed in the gunfire while attending a party at Martha’s Boulevard Bar and Grille on Southern Boulevard.

Police said Amya was not the intended target of the gunfire. She was “hit by a stray bullet,” Capt. Jason Simon of the Youngstown Police Department said.

Lt. Mohammad Awad of the detective division has said the shooting involved “two groups of people shooting at each other. We don’t know how many shooters were involved in each group, but there were two parties to this. And they weren’t alone.”

He said the incident that led to the gunfire did not involve a traditional sort of fistfight. “But there was some type of conflict that has been brewing over the course of a couple of weeks,” he said. The parties “shot back and forth at that party, location, restaurant, whatever you want to call that, and about 10:36 p.m., they came back and began shooting at each other,” Awad said.