California – A man in California has been sentenced for the involuntary manslaughter of his 51-year-old neighbor, V. Becerra, who was fatally shot through a wall while holding his 11-month-old granddaughter.
K. King, 44, was sentenced to five years and four months in state prison last Friday. King received this sentence after pleading no contest to involuntary manslaughter and possession of an assault weapon earlier this year.
King was forbidden from owning firearms because he had been convicted of a felony. He has already served 968 days, which will be counted against his sentence, leaving him with nearly two and a half years to serve.
The sad incident occurred on January 2, 2023, while King was cleaning his rifle at home. Unbeknownst to King, a gunshot fired, passing through a shared wall and wounding his neighbor, Becerra, who was sitting at his kitchen table. Becerra was holding his granddaughter at the time, adding to the tragedy’s sad nature.
According to police records and a press release outlining the incident, Becerra was mortally shot by a bullet after the revolver was discharged, causing him to drop the newborn girl. Despite receiving rapid medical attention, Becerra died from his injuries in a hospital.
During the sentencing, it was clear how much Becerra’s death had affected his family. Melinda Taylor, a victim services advocate, expressed the family’s sadness in court, reading a statement from Becerra’s cousin: “A beloved grandfather was cruelly killed while cradling his grandchild.
“The image of Victor dropping his granddaughter as he was shot haunts us all.” King, for his part, expressed regret in court. “I simply wanted to apologize to the family and express how sorry I am for what happened. “You didn’t deserve this,” he said, according to accounts. His counsel referred to the incident as a “tragic accident.”
In a stunning demonstration of forgiveness, Becerra’s widow addressed King through a Spanish interpreter: “Before anything, I forgive him.” The aftermath of the shooting was painful for Becerra’s family, especially his daughter, N. Ramirez, who watched the tragic sequence of events.
“We witness the infant slip from his grasp. Then one moment after another, he goes away,” Ramirez told local media. “I remember reaching 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.'”
Following the event, King was issued an arrest warrant with allegations of voluntary homicide, child endangerment, and firearms violations. He was eventually arrested in Oklahoma in June 2023.
This case has left a community in mourning over a beloved grandfather while also wrestling with the realities of gun safety and the consequences of neglect. As the court proceedings come to an end, both families are forced to deal with the consequences of a moment that changed their lives forever.