BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A man who shot at and hit in the head a man he believed had spoken negatively about his wife faces more than 40 years to life in prison after a jury convicted him of charges including attempted murder, prosecutors say.
A jury on Monday found Chesre Carbajal guilty in the Feb. 5, 2022, shooting that seriously injured the victim, who was not named in a District Attorney’s office news release. Carbajal, 28, is scheduled for sentencing in April.
“Violent criminals that use deadly weapons to resolve petty differences endanger not only the victims they target, but the community at large,” District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said in the release. “Harsh penalties, including life prison sentences, await any criminal that uses firearms during a violent crime.”
Prosecutors say the victim arrived around noon at a family member’s home near McFarland when Carbajal drove up and asked if he’d been making negative remarks about his wife. The victim denied it and, when Carbajal became upset, drove away.
The victim headed east on Elmo Highway and began making a U-turn to go west toward McFarland when he saw Carbajal remove a rifle from a car, according to the release. He sped up but heard 10 gunshots, one of which hit him in the head, prosecutors say.
He called 911 and was airlifted to a hospital, where he was treated and survived.
Deputies searched Carbajal’s vehicle, finding a .22-caliber rifle and a box containing 18 rounds of ammunition, prosecutors say. There were live rounds in the rifle.
