Man Given 2-Year Term for Hiding Peco’s Rifle

An Imperial Courts tenant was sentenced to two years in prison Monday for hiding an AK-47 assault rifle used to fire on police during a gun battle at the Watts housing project in which another man was killed by officers.

Kevin M. Jenkins, 18, pleaded guilty last month to being an accessory in the shooting that killed Henry Peco on Nov. 29. Peco was gunned down by police after he allegedly used the assault rifle to fire on six officers.

Jenkins also admitted in court that he saw Peco fire the rifle at police and that officers returned fire in a confrontation during a power outage at the project.

In handing down the sentence, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Cecil J. Millis said Jenkins “presented a serious danger to the community” by removing the rifle from the scene and preventing its recovery, making it possible for the weapon to be used in other crimes.

At the time of his Dec. 10 arrest, Jenkins was on probation for his involvement in a battery case as a juvenile.

Jenkins was charged with six counts of attempted murder for his part in the shooting and faced life in prison. Those charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement.

“Given the severity of the charges that he originally faced, this appears to be a satisfactory sentence,” said Jenkins’ attorney, Justin Groshan.

According to court testimony when his plea was entered, Jenkins took the gun from Peco’s side after Peco was shot. In a tape-recorded interview with police shortly after his arrest, Jenkins told authorities that he hid the gun under a sofa in a housing project apartment, said Deputy Dist. Atty. William Gravlin.

Police never found the rifle, prompting skepticism among some tenants about the shooting. Peco’s death fueled a campaign among some tenants and his relatives who claimed that Peco was unarmed and shot without provocation while walking across a courtyard.

For members of the Henry Peco Justice Committee and some tenants, the shooting became a symbol of what they described as longtime harassment and disrespectful treatment by police. They spoke out at two Police Commission meetings and staged several demonstrations in front of the Southeast Division police station and at the housing project.

In response to a citizen’s complaint, the FBI is investigating whether police violated Peco’s civil rights in the shooting.

Another man, Marlon I. Kirkwood, 21, was sentenced last week to 12 years in prison for firing a gunshot during the confrontation with Peco and police. Kirkwood also admitted during sentencing that he saw Peco fire the assault rifle, corroborating the police account of the incident.