California – In a tragic incident that has deeply impacted two families in California, a man has been sentenced for the involuntary manslaughter of his 51-year-old neighbor, identified as V. Becerra, who was fatally shot through a wall while holding his 11-month-old granddaughter.
The 44-year-old K. King, was handed a sentence of five years and four months in state prison last Friday. This sentence comes after King pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter and possession of an assault weapon earlier this year. Due to King being convicted felon, he was prohibited from owning firearms. He has already served 968 days, which will be credited against his sentence, leaving him with over two and a half years still to serve.
The incident that led to this tragic outcome occurred on January 2, 2023, while King was cleaning his gun in his home. Unbeknownst to King, a bullet discharged, traveling through a common wall and striking his neighbor, Becerra, who was sitting at his kitchen table. At that moment, Becerra was holding his granddaughter, adding a heartbreaking layer to the tragedy. According to police reports and a press release detailing the incident, after the gun discharged, the bullet fatally injured Becerra, causing him to drop the baby girl as he was struck. Despite immediate medical attention, Becerra succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.
During the sentencing, the impact of Becerra’s death on his family was palpable. Melinda Taylor, a victim services advocate, conveyed the family’s grief in court, reading a statement from Becerra’s cousin: “A loving grandfather fatally wounded while cradling his grandchild. The image of Victor dropping his granddaughter as he was shot is one that haunts us all.” King, for his part, expressed his remorse in court. “I just wanted to apologize to the family and let you know that I am very sorry for what has happened. You didn’t deserve this,” he stated, as per reports. His attorney described the shooting as a “tragic accident.”
In a profound display of forgiveness, Becerra’s widow addressed King through a Spanish interpreter: “Before anything, I forgive him.” The aftermath of the shooting was traumatic for Becerra’s family, particularly his daughter, N. Ramirez, who witnessed the devastating sequence of events. “We see the baby fall out of his hands. Then one moment to another, and then slowly, he fades away,” Ramirez recounted to local media. “I remember calling out to him, ‘Papi, Papi! Please, you can’t leave me!’ I was like, ‘Please wake up. You can’t leave me.’ I was like, ‘Please wake up.'”
Following the incident, an arrest warrant was issued for King, outlining charges of voluntary manslaughter, child endangerment, and weapons offenses. He was later apprehended in Oklahoma in June 2023. This case has left a community mourning a beloved grandfather and grappling with the realities of gun safety and the consequences of negligence. As the legal proceedings draw to a close, both families are left to navigate the aftermath of a moment that altered their lives forever.
