A man who was convicted of mistakenly killing his friend in a shooting in Lawrence in 2004 has been granted parole after the victim’s mother granted him her support.

George Arroyo, who was 19 at the time of the shooting, was granted parole this week after serving 18 years of a life sentence, according to the state Parole Board . He was convicted on May 9, 2007 of second-degree murder for the 2004 shooting of 17-year-old Jorge Martinez.

According to Parole Board records, on June 21, 2004, Arroyo and Martinez were driving through Lawrence and saw some people they knew. They pulled over and Arroyo had an argument with one of the people, telling him he wanted to fight.

Arroyo and Martinez got back in the car and drove away to get a gun, coming back 10 to 15 minutes later, according to a p

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