A gunman shot him to kidnap his dog. The pup wouldn’t leave dead owner’s side
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- A man living in an encampment under a bridge was shot by a gunman, intent on taking his dog. The pup refused to leave his owner side, even after he died.
Joshua Rash was living in a Sacramento encampment underneath a bridge when, officials said, a man walked toward him with a handgun, intent on taking his dog.
Rash armed himself with a metal pole and tried to keep the gunman, 62-year-old Richard Bradford, away from his four-legged friend, but prosecutors said Bradford shot Rash and left him to die underneath the bridge.
For the record:
2:27 p.m. Oct. 12, 2025A previous version of this article said Richard Bradford was sentenced Aug. 5. He was convicted Aug. 5.
When police found the body of 37-year-old Rash in the 8200 block of Gerber Road, officials said, the dog was still sitting by his side. Prosecutors and police did not say what became of the faithful dog.
On Friday, Bradford was sentenced in Sacramento County Superior Court to 76 years to life for the Oct. 8, 2023, shooting.
Bradford was convicted Aug. 5 of second-degree murder. The jury also found that Bradford fired his weapon in the crime, and that he was a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors said Bradford had two prior strike convictions before the fatal shooting.
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