Man gets 76 years to life in prison for deadly Sacramento shooting over a dog
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A judge sentenced Richard Bradford to 76 years to life in prison for the 2023 shooting.
- A jury convicted Bradford of second-degree murder for the death of Joshua Rash.
- Rash was living in a homeless along Gerber Road where the deadly shooting occurred.
A judge on Friday sentenced a man to 76 years to life in prison for a shooting death in a dispute over a dog two years ago at a homeless encampment in south Sacramento.
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Matthew Gary sentenced Richard Gary Bradford, 62, for the Oct. 8, 2023, fatal shooting of 37-year-old Joshua Richard Rash, according to a news release from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
Rash was living in a homeless encampment in the 8200 block of Gerber Road under an overcrossing about two blocks east of Power Inn Road.
Prosecutors said Bradford had gone to the homeless encampment to take Rash’s dog, and Rash armed himself with a pole to stop Bradford from taking the dog.
Bradford then shot Rash in the chest and left him wounded underneath the Gerber Road overcrossing, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Sacramento County sheriff’s officials have said deputies responded to the scene about 4 p.m. that day after a pedestrian found Rash’s body and called 911. Prosecutors said Rash’s body was found with his dog sitting by his side.
It’s unclear how Bradford and Rash knew each other before the shooting.
A jury on Aug. 5 found Bradford guilty of second-degree murder in Rash’s death, along with enhancements for using a gun that resulted in death.
Prosecutors said Bradford also was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and he had two previous criminal convictions considered strikes under California’s “Three Strikes” law.
Bradford remained in custody Friday afternoon at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center near Elk Grove as he awaits transfer to a state prison.
