WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif — The grandfather of the 16-year-old girl who was shot and killed in West Sacramento on Saturday during an apparent drug deal said the teenager has been portrayed incorrectly in the news and on social media.
Mark Bentley said his granddaughter, who he identified only as Samantha, was “not into the drug scene” and was likely only along for the ride without knowing what she was getting into.
“She was a good, clean person. She was happy go lucky,” Bentley told ABC10. “She comes from a fantastic family. They would never tolerate drugs in that house. That’s just not what they are about.”
The 16-year-old girl was shot and killed Jan. 4, near the Clarksburg Branch Line Trail just east of River City High School following a marijuana deal gone wrong, West Sacramento Police officials said.
Two 16-year-old boys were arrested Jan. 5 and charged on Monday with conspiracy to commit a crime, robbery and homicide. One 16-year-old girl from Sacramento was also arrested on Sunday and faces charges of being an accessory to a crime.
Bentley said he first heard of his granddaughter’s death when his daughter called him explained to him happened. “I just burst out with tears right there,” Bentley recalled. “How do you take that?”
Bentley added that he does not believe Samantha knew what she was getting into that day.
“I think she was probably naïve about the whole transaction going down, but that’s how Samantha was,” said Bentley. “She’s just…man she had a heart this big, you know.”
Bentley’s said the family is devastated, and he’s unsure if they will recover from the shooting.
For now, Bentley is asking for justice.
“I hope that that DA is brave enough to — whoever fired that shot, whoever pulled that trigger — to prosecute them, no matter what their age is, as an adult,” Bentley said.
Follow the conversation on Facebook with Mike Duffy.
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