Staff Sgt. Brian Michael Carragher, 29, was shot to death with a 9mm semi-automatic on 9/18/10 shortly after 5:30 p.m. in front of his California City home in the 8900 block of Walpole Avenue as he tried to tell a man to leave his home. Carragher was found bleeding severely in the street and was airlifted to Antelope Valley Hospital and pronounced dead there about an hour later. Carragher was shot at five times and struck four times. Staff Sgt. Brian Carragher was shot three times in the back and once in the back of his upper right arm. The suspect, 26-year-old Timothy Aaron Atkins had pulled a gun from his pickup truck, shot Carragher and then fled the scene. Officers later found his vehicle in the 20300 block of 87th Street and arrested him without incident. Atkins ex-girlfriend, Brooke Youngo, was renting space in Carragher’s home along with her new boyfriend, Matthew Pearman. Pearman was a security officer at Edwards Air Force Base. Atkins drove over to the home to speak with Youngo and he brought a gun with him in case he wanted to shoot Pearman. Carragher was at a local motorcycle shop with his girlfriend, MIchelle Jones, at the time Atkins came to his home. Pearman answered the door and told Atkins he could talk with Youngo, but he had to go across the street to do so. Atkins and Youngo went near Atkins’ pickup and talked. Pearman went to the motorcycle shop to tell Carragher what was going on. Carragher returned home and began talking to Atkins, telling him to leave. That’s when Atkins reached in the truck and fired at Carragher. He joined the Air Force in 2003 to become a K-9 officer. Carragher was a military working dog handler assigned to the 95th Security Forces Squadron and stationed at Edwards Air Force Base and had just returned home from his second tour in Iraq on August 1, 2010. Atkins also recently returned to California City after serving two tours in the Army in Iraq. Carragher and his wife, Jackie, bought the home on Walpole Drive around October 2009. Brian Carragher had filed for divorce on 9/16/10. He is survived by his wife of six years, Jackie, and twin four-year-old daughters Maddison and Hayley. He is also survived by his military working dog, Eddy. “Because of his age, Eddy was soon to be retired and Sgt Carragher was going to adopt him. Donations can be made out for his daughters’ college fund. Send Donations made out to Hayley and Maddison Carragher at Summit National Bank, P.O. BOX 395, Baggs, WY 82321.
Timothy Aaron Atkins was arrested on 9/18/10 and held without bail and charged with 1st degree murder. Atkins made his first court appearance on 9/21/10 for arraignment for the shooting death of Air Force Staff Sergeant Brian Carragher and was delayed until 9/29/10 and ordered held in jail on $1.5 million bail. On his court appearance on 9/29/10 Atkins pleaded not guilty and being represented by attorney Richard Terry . Further hearings were set Nov. 22 & 23, 2010. with Atkins remaining in custody in lieu of posting $1.5 million bail. In March of 2012, Atkins pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, and a first-degree murder charge was dismissed. Atkins got credit for 679 days – 591 days for time served and 88 days for good behavior – as part of his six year sentence.
