FONTANA -- A man convicted in the fatal shooting in 2007 of Rialto police officer Sergio Carrera Jr. was sentenced today to 14 years in prison.
Krist Antonio Wiggins' sentence was the longest possible based on verdicts by juries, who convicted Wiggins of involuntary manslaughter plus a "special allegation" that he discharged a firearm.
Before Wiggins, 35, was sentenced by Judge Steven A. Mapes in Fontana Superior Court, he apologized to Carrera's family members and deflected blame for the Oct. 18, 2007 killing.
"I'm sorry about the tragedy and loss that has happened," Wiggins said. "I did not commit this crime. My condolences."
Carrera was one of several members of Rialto's SWAT team who entered Wiggins' apartment on West Cascade Drive to perform a search warrant.
Wiggins, who had skipped bail in Mississippi on charges of selling cocaine, fled into a bedroom as officers entered his apartment and later struggled on the floor with an officer.
During the struggle the officer's assault rifle fired three times, with one of the shots hitting Carrera, 29, in the face.
Carrera, a Moreno Valley native who'd recently moved to Beaumont, left behind a wife, a son who is now five and a newborn daughter who is now three, his family said. He worked at the Rialto Police Department for four years.
There were two trials in Wiggins' case.
At his first, a jury convicted him of involuntary manslaughter but hung on the "special allegation" that he personally discharged a firearm. A second trial ended with a conviction on the special allegation.
Carrera's family members said today that they believe the first jury erred when they found Wiggins not guilty of murder and instead convicted him of involuntary manslaughter.
"Wiggins deserves to be locked up for the maximum amount of time," Octavio Magana, Carrera's brother-in-law, said in a statement during the hearing. "He already got away with murder."
Carrera's sister, Shirley Carrera Magana, said her life has changed drastically as a result of her brother's death.
"I will never see my best friend again, nor will I have my only brother," she said.
After the hearing, the Maganas said they felt Wiggins' apology was insincere.
"Throughout the whole trial he would snicker, smile," Octavio Magana said.
Wiggins has been jailed since Carrera's death, and he was credited today with nearly four years of custody time which will be shaved off his prison sentence.
He's expected to be in prison for another eight and a half years, Carrera's family members said.
When he completes his prison term in California, Wiggins could be extradited to Mississippi to be prosecuted for allegedly selling cocaine.
After being arrested in that case, a judge lowered Wiggins' bail to $30,000 and he posted bond. He then fled the state to avoid the charges, according to authorities.