BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A Kern County jury has found a man guilty of shooting a man washing a vehicle in front of his Shafter home.
Sergio Acosta Jr., 26, was convicted Wednesday of attempted murder, gang participation and multiple gun-related offenses for firing shots that hit the man in the lower back and left leg. He survived his injuries.
Acosta faces 33 years to life in prison at a Sept. 9 sentencing hearing, prosecutors said.
On the evening of Oct. 17, 2020, Acosta and another member of a Shafter-based gang approached the man and Acosta pulled a gun and fired six rounds, according to a District Attorney’s office release. One round entered the home and damaged a bathtub.
Shafter police searched Acosta’s home in December 2020 and found a shotgun and ammunition which Acosta, a convicted felon, was barred from owning, according to prosecutors. The investigation connected Acosta to the shooting and he admitted to targeting the victim at the gang’s direction, the release said.