A California man was cleaning a gun when a bullet fired and passed through a wall, killing his neighbor while he held his 11-month-old granddaughter. He has finally learned his fate.
Kevin King, 44, was sentenced on Friday to five years and four months in state prison for the death of Victor Becerra, 51.
The defendant will be credited for 968 days served, which means he will serve over 2 ½ years in prison. In a plea deal earlier this year, he pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter and possession of an assault weapon. He was a convicted felon, which prohibited him from possessing the firearm in the first place.
The victim’s family responded in court.
“A loving grandfather was fatally wounded while cradling his grandchild,” Melinda Taylor, a victim services advocate, read to Becerra’s cousin. “The image of Victor dropping his granddaughter as he was shot is one that haunts us all.”
King apologized for what he had done.
“I just wanted to apologize to the family and express how sorry I am for what happened. “You didn’t deserve this,” King told KFSN, a local ABC affiliate.
His attorney described the shooting as a “tragic accident.”
KFSN reported that Beccera’s widow, Leticia Ramirez, forgave King.
“Before anything, I forgive him,” Beccera’s widow, Leticia Ramirez, said through a Spanish interpreter.
The bloodshed occurred on January 2, 2023, according to a police press release.
King was cleaning his gun when a bullet pierced a common wall, killing Becerra as he sat at his kitchen table holding the baby girl. King fled. First responders discovered Becerra in the living room with a single gunshot wound. He died in the hospital.
Noemi Ramirez, Beccera’s daughter, described the trauma of her father dying.
“We see the baby fall from his hands. Then from one moment to the next, he gradually fades away,” Ramirez told KFSN. “I remember calling out to him, ‘Papi, papi! Please, you cannot leave me! I was like, “Please wake up.” You can’t leave me. “I said, ‘Please wake up.'”
King’s arrest warrant was issued for voluntary manslaughter, child endangerment, and weapons offenses. Authorities apprehended him in Oklahoma in June 2023.