Accidental Fatal Shooting May Lead to Involuntary Manslaughter Charges
TULARE – A man who mishandled a firearm and shot his friend to death is in custody waiting to see if charges will be filed against him for involuntary manslaughter.
Detectives from the Tulare County Sheriff’s violent crimes unit responded to a shooting that occurred in southern Tulare County last weekend. The victim had been shot in the chest and rushed to KernMedicalCenter in Bakersfield, where he died.
An investigation into the shooting revealed that it had happened after some friends began drinking and then handling a firearm. Deputies said that 22-year-old Cesilio Saucedo and the victim, identified as 20-year-old Jose Carranza, were hanging out when Saucedo “mishandled a handgun and the weapon fired and struck the victim one time in the abdomen area,” according to the sheriff’s department.
An autopsy completed on Monday revealed that Carranza’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the right part of his abdomen, according to the department.
Saucedo was interviewed and taken into custody without incident, and is currently being held on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter at the Tulare County Main Jail. The case has yet to be submitted to the District Attorney’s Office. If charges are not filed by Wednesday, jail officials will be required to release Saucedo.
Anyone with more information on the matter is encouraged to call the Tulare County Sheriff Department Violent Crimes Unit Detective Gary Marks or Sergeant Steve Kennedy at (559) 735-1898 or at 733-6211, or send anonymous information through text message or email to TCSO@tipnow.com.
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