SANTA PAULA : Bakersfield Man Held in Boy’s Death
A Bakersfield man has been charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of a 14-year-old Santa Paula youth in Bakersfield on Sunday.
Eric Scott Beaver, a Santa Paula Union High School student, was shot in the neck while visiting family friends in their Bakersfield apartment, according to Bakersfield police reports.
John Williams, 23, was arrested after the shooting and charged Tuesday with murder. He is being held in Kern County Jail.
Bakersfield Police Sgt. Brad Singleton said Williams told police that he was cleaning, loading and unloading a pistol when it went off accidentally.
However, Singleton said the explanation doesn’t conform to evidence at the scene. The gun was fired 1 to 3 inches away from Eric at an angle that conflicted with Williams’ version of events, Singleton said.
There was no sign of a struggle and Williams called for an ambulance immediately after the shooting. Eric died at Kern County Medical Center.
Eric was a ninth-grader in Santa Paula, where he grew up. He is survived by his father, Charles Ray Beaver of Santa Paula; his mother, Ronda Mayes of Bakersfield; a sister, Nicole Fildes of Bakersfield; and his grandmother, Betty Shatswell of Bakersfield.
A funeral service was held Wednesday at Santa Paula Cemetery.
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