A father of two is facing murder charges after he was accused of firing an assault rifle into the street, killing a 21-year-old woman, California officials said.
Oakland police officers were dispatched at 2:20 a.m. April 29 after three separate gunshot incidents were reported by ShotSpotter, a technology that alerts police when shots are fired, according to a May 3 news release by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.
When officers arrived in the area, they found Marie Villa Bedford with “a gunshot wound to her head,” officials said.
Bernard Tracy Jimmerson of Oakland told police “he was frustrated by the noise of cars racing up and down his street in the middle of the night,” according to the release.
He went outside with his rifle and started shooting at passing cars, officials said.
Bedford was in the area, “trying to flee from the gunfire” when she was struck by a stray bullet, according to the release.
When police arrived at Jimmerson’s home, they learned he was on probation after a gun possession conviction, officials said. They found “nearly 200 rounds of ammunition, two pistols, two AR-15 rifles and body armor.”
“There are too many guns in this community. And there are too many people who are too quick to use a gun, believing they have a right to use a gun when they do not,” District Attorney Pamela Y. Price said in the release. “It needs to stop. And when someone takes a life under these circumstances we will hold them accountable.”
Jimmerson was charged with second-degree murder, shooting at an occupied car, possession of an assault rifle, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, the release said.
He was expected to be in court May 3, officials said. If convicted, he faces 27 years to life in prison.
Oakland is about 12 miles northeast of San Francisco.