Relatives mourn man fatally shot during struggle for his own gun at AutoZone

A judge on Thursday sentenced a man to life in prison in a fatal shooting at a central valley AutoZone.

Kyle Capucci, 37, shot and killed 21-year-old David Carcamo during a struggle for the victim’s holstered handgun on May 23. Carcamo had been shopping at the Auto Zone store with a friend when they noticed Capucci, who had stumbled into the store barefoot and mumbling, according to court documents.

Grand jury transcripts said that an AutoZone employee who was helping Carcamo asked Capucci, who appeared homeless, if he was okay.

Police said Capucci was erratic and lunged toward Carcamo’s waist, where Carcamo was open carrying a firearm. A struggle between the two ensued, and moments later, witnesses said they heard several gunshots and saw Carcamo collapse to the ground.

Capucci pleaded guilty to first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon in February. Under the agreement, he also faced life without the possibility of parole, though District Judge Tierra Jones ruled Thursday that he would be eligible for parole.

Deputy Special Public Defender Sophie Salcedo said that Capucci has taken full accountability for Carcamo’s death. Capucci declined to speak during the sentencing.

“Every time I meet with him, he’s emotional and expresses how sorry he is, and I know that today he wanted me to express his apologies to the victim’s family,” Salcedo said.

Nearly a dozen of Carcamo’s relatives, including his mother, cousins, and girlfriend, attended the hearing.

In March, Carcamo’s estate filed a wrongful death lawsuit against AutoZone International Holdings Inc., alleging that AutoZone was responsible for Carcamo’s death. The complaint said the store lacked security guards and did not properly train its employees, despite being in a high-crime area.

Maria Lopez, Carcamo’s mother, addressed the judge Thursday using a court interpreter.

“Every day I go to his room to speak with him,” she said. “I know he can hear me, so I also write him messages. It puts my pain at ease.”

The mother also said that, since Caracamo’s death, she and her husband have struggled to live a normal life. She said that Carcamo’s 3-year-old daughter still asks when her father will come back.

“That just breaks my soul,” Lopez sobbed, wiping tears from her face with her fingers.

She asked Jones if she would allow the girl, who had been with relatives in the hallway outside the courtroom, to enter the courtroom so the judge could meet her.

Jones denied the request, saying that children were not allowed inside courtrooms for their own good.

Before handing down Capucci’s life sentence, Jones spoke briefly.

“I think to say that this is a tragedy is an understatement,” the judge said.

Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.