MAN HELD IN SLAYING LISTED AS AWOL; SON OF LAPD VETERAN REPORTED TO HAVE FLED BOOT CAMP.

Byline: Krystn Shrieve Staff Writer

The man arrested in the shooting death of his brother-in-law had started Army basic training two years ago but had gone AWOL within a month, authorities said Friday.

Paul Myers, 30, the son of a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant, had enlisted in the Army and on May 20, 1997, started nine weeks of boot camp at Fort Benning, Ga. He never finished, however, and was reported absent without leave 27 days later, officials said.

Army spokesman Maj. Benjamin Frazier said soldiers can be released from basic training under certain circumstances, and that the penalty for this type of infraction, for walking away from boot camp, could be no more than a small fine.

Had Myers requested it, it would have been ``an easy-out discharge,'' Frazier said of those who lawfully withdraw from basic training. ``No harm, no foul. (In Myers' case) he may have gotten scared and didn't know he could get out without sneaking off.''

Myers, who had been living with his parents at their Clemson Street home, was arrested Wednesday in the slaying of 26-year-old Jason Weaver, his sister's husband, and on a warrant issued by the Army for deserting his duties as a soldier.

He was scheduled to be arraigned Friday, but the hearing was postponed indefinitely. In the meantime, he remains in jail in lieu of $1 million.

An autopsy Friday determined that Weaver died from six gunshots from a .30-caliber handgun, including one to the head, officials said. However, they refused to provide additional details about the gun or who owned it.

Neighbors said the brothers-in-law had argued over a video game that Weaver wanted to take home for his 8-year-old stepson, Jimmy.

The shooting occurred about 4 p.m. Wednesday, and Weaver died about 11:45 a.m. Thursday, after his relatives gave their permission to remove him from life support.

Myers, who drove an airport shuttle for a Simi Valley company, is the son of Bonnie and James Myers, a sergeant who has been with the LAPD since 1970.

Funeral services for Weaver have not yet been finalized, but are expected to be held in Simi Valley or Moorpark, Capra also is working to set up an educational trust fund for 8-year-old Jimmy and Weaver's other children - 2-year-old Kyle and 2-week-old Heather.