SAN DIEGO -- A teenage gang member accused in the shooting deaths of two brothers outside a family gathering in Lomita pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murder and other charges.

Jose Nogales, charged in adult court, was 14 when Frank Perez, 35, and his 33-year-old brother, John Perez, were fatally shot July 8 outside their parents' home on Sawtelle Avenue, authorities said.

Carlos Carrasco, 19, is also charged with the murders of the Perez brothers, said Deputy District Attorney Frank Jackson.

The prosecutor said each defendant is charged with two counts of murder, gang allegations and a special circumstance of multiple murders.

Carrasco, who is also charged with the use of a gun and shooting into an occupied dwelling, could face the death penalty if convicted. A decision on that will be made later by District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis.

Nogales, now 15, faces up to life in prison without parole if convicted because he is a juvenile.

Just after midnight, a white truck passed by the Perez home several times, then came to a stop nearby, San Diego police Lt. Kevin Rooney said earlier.

The driver yelled out a gang challenge and a passenger stepped out to confront the victims, Rooney said.

Moments later, gunfire rang out, hitting Frank Perez, who lived at the home, and his brother, a Lemon Grove resident.

The younger brother died at the scene. His sibling died at a hospital the next day.

The assailants fled to the south in the pickup, described as a late-1990s model with an extended cab.

Carrasco is also charged with attempted murder in a separate shooting a week and a half before the slayings, Jackson said.

Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Fraser scheduled a status conference for Jan. 11 and a preliminary hearing for Jan. 24.