SACRAMENTO—The Sacramento man who was shot on Thursday, September 10 during a standoff between law enforcement and Ben Ledford was most likely holding a cellphone and not a gun as police originally thought.
Danny Sanchez lives next door to the house where Ledford, 62, was arrested last week after shooting approximately 100 rounds from his machine gun at a home on the 2400 block of Negrara Way in Rancho Cordova.
Sanchez had been peeking out of his garage watching as authorities arrested the man next-door. When officers spotted him with something in his hand, they mistook it for a gun and fired at him, striking Sanchez in the leg, said Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos. Sanchez was reportedly taking photos or video of the incident when he pointed the phone towards the action.
Sanchez underwent surgery to remove bullet fragments from his leg. His father, John Sanchez, said his son remained hospitalized Saturday.
After the standoff at approximately 2:15 pm on Thursday, Ledford was taken into custody. He is suspected of firing the weapon at a house across the street from the home where he was visiting or staying. According to the arrest reports from Sacramento County, Ledford’s actual residence is a home in Antelope, about 12 miles north of the Rancho Cordova neighborhood.
He was charged with three felonies—assault with a machine gun, discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner and cruelty to animals. Officers found a deceased dog at the residence across the street, which Ramos said appears to have been the suspect’s primary target.
Bail has been set at $1 million. According to a records search, it does not appear that Ledford has a prior recent history of arrests in California.
Read More: CrimeVoice.com
