Man sentenced in Security-Widefield shooting that left high school student dead just before graduation
An 18-year-old man has been sentenced to over 30 years in prison in an April 2021 shooting in Security-Widefield that left a teenager dead.
Kamrin Long, who according to court records pleaded guilty in December to second-degree murder, was sentenced Wednesday to 36 years in prison by Fourth Judicial District Chief Judge William Bain.
The sentence, Fourth Judicial District Attorney’s Office spokesman Howard Black confirmed, was made as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. According to court records, Long was originally charged with first-degree murder, a count that was later amended, in the shooting that left 18-year-old Isaac Garcia dead.
Garcia’s father, Jose Garcia, said his son’s death came just before he was to graduate from Mesa Ridge High School.
“He was just so close to graduating,” he said. “Graduating high school was a really great accomplishment for him, and he was very proud of himself and he was looking forward to walking across the stage.
“That was taken from him,” adding that the high school still handed his family Isaac Garcia’s diploma.
El Paso County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to the 4800 block of Spokane Way just after 5 p.m. April 18, where they found Isaac Garcia suffering from a gunshot wound to his chest.
According to an arrest affidavit filed for Long on April 19, Long told an individual unidentified in the affidavit to give his address to Isaac Garcia after that unidentified individual indicated he was “going to fade” Garcia. Garcia, according to the affidavit, indicated he had arrived at the address around 5 p.m. Surveillance video from neighbors showed an individual pulling up the driveway of the home and walking up just before a single gunshot was fired and the individual fell backward.
Garcia was found by deputies and rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died of his injuries.
When interviewed by detectives, Long confirmed he gave Garcia his address and had shot him in the driveway. In the affidavit, he does not offer a reason for the shooting. Black said in an email the unidentified individual was not charged due to “self defense.”
Jose Garcia said roughly 20 family members and friends gathered outside the courthouse and later at his home to support each other and “break bread” following the hearing.
He said he and his family were satisfied with the sentence, that justice had been served, and that they also believed in forgiveness.
“We’re Christians, we believe in what the Bible says about forgiveness … through our support system, and the people that we had surrounding us, we were able to hold our faith much easier,” he said, noting he still would have liked to hear from Long, who didn’t speak at his sentencing.
“I really wanted to hear from Kamrin, to hear his ‘why’ or at least him say that he regrets that it happened or that he’s sorry,” he said. “Doesn’t change anything, but it does matter.”
Isaac Garcia poses in his cap and gown.
Kamrin Long
Isaac Garcia
