A late‑night confrontation outside a South Sacramento Wingstop has now translated into a murder conviction and the possibility of decades behind bars.
On Tuesday, June 2, 2026, a Sacramento jury found 23‑year‑old Alimohammed Hamid guilty of second‑degree murder for the Feb. 24, 2024, parking‑lot shooting that ultimately killed 38‑year‑old Joseph Anthony Soto Jr. Jurors also found that Hamid personally used a firearm in the crime, leaving him facing a maximum sentence of 40 years to life. He remains in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 1, 2026.
How Prosecutors Say It Happened
Prosecutors told jurors the shooting unfolded around 10:15 p.m. on Feb. 24, 2024, in the 5900 block of Florin Road after a verbal exchange in a shopping‑center parking lot. According to their account, Hamid reached into the center console of his vehicle, fired a single shot out through an open rear passenger window and hit Soto in the back, then drove off and dumped both the gun and the shell casing, according to The Sacramento Bee.
Victim And Arrest Timeline
After being shot, Soto stumbled into the Wingstop looking for help and was taken by ambulance. His condition initially stabilized, but it later worsened, and he died from complications of the gunshot wound on March 21, 2024. Investigators arrested Hamid about two weeks after Soto’s death, as reported by KCRA.
What The Sentence Could Look Like
Under California law, a second‑degree murder conviction typically carries an indeterminate term of 15 years to life. On top of that, a separate enhancement can add 25 years to life when a defendant personally discharges a firearm that proximately causes death. Penal Code §12022.53 allows that 25‑to‑life enhancement, and Penal Code §190 sets the base term for murder. Together, they explain the 40‑years‑to‑life exposure prosecutors cited. See Penal Code §12022.53 and Justia for the statutory language.
Next Steps
Hamid is set to return to Sacramento Superior Court for sentencing on July 1, 2026, when the judge will formally set his term. The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office announced the guilty verdict in a news release, as reported by The Sacramento Bee.
