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Rylan Fuchs, 17, was shot in the neck around 9 pm. Tuesday, January 20, 2009, in front of his Danville, Calif. home and later died. He was a senior at San Ramon Valley High School. (Family photo)
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MARTINEZ — A 19-year-old Berkeley man has been charged in the death of a 17-year-old San Ramon Valley High School senior fatally shot over a marijuana deal outside his Danville home in January, authorities said.

Walter Bell was arraigned Thursday in Contra Costa County Superior Court on charges of murder, attempted robbery and a charge enhancement, but he did not enter a plea and was referred to the Public Defender's Office. He is the first suspect to be charged since Rylan Fuchs was shot in the 1000 block of El Capitan Drive on Jan. 20.

Bell says he fired the single, fatal shot accidentally as he was trying to rob Fuchs of marijuana, prosecutor Harold Jewett said. Fuchs' stepfather ran outside the house upon hearing gunfire and found the teen on the front porch bleeding from a single gunshot wound to the neck. Fuchs died the next morning.

Also Thursday, officers from the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office and Danville police requestioned a 16-year-old Oakland boy regarding his possible involvement in the case. The boy, a former classmate of Fuchs', had been arrested a few days after the slaying but never charged.

He remains under investigation, a sheriff's spokesman said.

The boy, whose name was not released because he is a minor, was reportedly among several young people present when the shooting occurred.

Bell was arrested Wednesday night by the Sheriff's Office after he was released from Santa Rita Jail, where

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he had been held in connection with an unrelated robbery.

Fuchs' parents first heard of the arrest Thursday afternoon.

"I think I'm stunned," said Fuchs' mother, Karen Williams, of Danville. "It brings back a whole slew of emotions.

"I'm glad. Someone needs to be held responsible," she said.

Williams said she doesn't know anything about the status of the 16-year-old. She also said she did not know anything about the incident being related to marijuana.

Fuchs' father, Bill Fuchs, of Alamo, said he has been frustrated with a lack of information from authorities.

"It's about time," said Fuchs, adding that he doesn't believe his son was selling marijuana.

He said Rylan was once caught smoking at school, and believes police are using the marijuana-deal-gone-bad excuse to preserve the town's safe image. He said police told him marijuana was found at the scene, which he thinks a robber would have taken, but police would not say how much they found.

Bill Fuchs said prosecutors told him in February that the 16-year-old was at the scene but didn't think he had pulled the trigger. Fuchs said he thought investigators had a name of the possible shooter at the time, but could not find him.

Fuchs' death marked the first homicide in Danville since 2007 and was a great shock to the community.

"This type of incident is very uncommon to this community," Danville police Chief Chris Wenzel said. "Getting the suspect in custody is a small consolation to the victim's family but at least there are some answers and someone will be held accountable."

Bell is being held without bail. He will return to court to enter a plea Dec. 3.

Reach Malaika Fraley at mfraley@bayareanewsgroup.com and Eric Louie at elouie@bayareanewsgroup.com.