Santa Maria man pleads guilty to killing younger brother in 2018 shooting

The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that 19-year-old Fernando Navarro pled guilty to a felony charge of involuntary manslaughter in the death of his 13-year-old brother, Leonardo.

Leonardo was killed when Navarro unintentionally fired a gun he was handling at the time. The incident happened on Feb. 3, 2018, at Navarro’s West Polk Street home in the city of Santa Maria.

The District Attorney’s Office added that Navarro also pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unlawful firearm activity connected to his possession of a gun in violation of his probation terms.

Navarro is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 4, 2018, in Santa Maria Superior Court. The District Attorney’s Office concludes that based on his plea agreement, Navarro will be sentenced to four years and eight months, consisting of three years in jail and one year, eight months of community supervision.