Long Beach man sentenced in slaying that prosecutors called 'racially motivated'

A Long Beach man was sentenced Wednesday to 85 years to life in prison for the 2012 murder of a 37-year-old father of two and the attempted murder of a police officer.

Darryl Harnish, 67, was convicted in February of killing Terry Alexander and shooting at Long Beach police Officer Arthur Vega.

Shortly after midnight on April 19, 2012, Harnish yelled racial slurs at three black men sitting on a bus bench in Long Beach, according to prosecutors, who called the case "racially motivated," although no hate-crime allegations were filed.

Alexander rode his bike toward Harnish, who opened fire. Alexander was struck and died at a hospital.

Vega was about a block away when he heard the gunshots. When he got to the scene and ordered Harnish to stop, Harnish fired twice, hitting the hood and windshield of Vega’s car.

Another officer arrived, and he and Vega fired three or four rounds each at Harnish, according to an L.A. County district attorney’s office review of the incident. Deputy Dist. Atty. Jack Garden said it was unclear which officer’s gunfire hit Harnish, whose injuries resulted in paralysis from the waist down. An infection from a gunshot wound also led to the partial amputation of his right leg.

The officers were not injured.

Harnish later waived his Miranda rights and admitted shooting Alexander "because he approached in a threatening manner" and Vega "because [Harnish] has a general hatred for LBPD," according to the district attorney. Harnish also had two knives in his possession, the letter stated.

Defense attorney Robert Hill called the crime “aberrant.” He also said Harnish had been struggling with alcohol and cocaine addictions and the death of his son. Hill added that Harnish served in the U.S. Army between 1968 and 1970 and received a Purple Heart.

“The military service in and of itself should be sufficient to temper the sentence to the extent that the law allows,” Hill said. “Though it is not a legal defense, the circumstances of sustaining an injury in combat in general is the type of trauma that could lead someone to have violent tendencies, firearm attractions and other behaviors.”

Hill had made the case in court in February that Alexander was the aggressor and disputed the fact that Harnish had used a racial epithet, saying he had "no history of racial animus."

Before announcing Harnish’s sentence, Judge Laura F. Priver said that it was unusual that he had no previous criminal record and added that alcohol may have played a part in his behavior. But turning to Harnish, who wore red-framed glasses and a brown jail jumpsuit, she said, “That's no excuse, and I know you accept that."

“The behavior was extreme as it relates to Mr. Alexander -- Mr. Alexander lost his life -- and extremely dangerous as it relates to the police officers, who were placed in a very difficult and dangerous situation, and … the community when he was firing this weapon,” Priver said.

-- Taylor Goldenstein