What started as a fight over a parking spot at a North Long Beach condo complex has ended with a 32-year prison term. Roland Barber, 43, was sentenced on Jan. 13 after pleading to charges tied to a 2023 shooting that killed 35-year-old David Nevarez. Prosecutors say the argument began in the condo parking area and quickly escalated into gunfire. The punishment caps months of courtroom battles that included a murder mistrial and, eventually, plea negotiations.
According to the Press-Telegram, Barber pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, and Judge James D. Otto imposed the 32-year sentence in Long Beach Superior Court. Prosecutors pushed for an aggravated term, pointing to firearm-use enhancements and Barber’s criminal history. Defense attorney Ludlow Creary argued for a shorter sentence, telling the court the clash involved provocation and conflicting accounts about who fired first.
As detailed by the Long Beach Post, the shooting unfolded on the night of June 16, 2023, at the Pacifica Cove condominiums on the 5500 block of Ackerfield Avenue. Court documents and surveillance reviewed by investigators show Nevarez and others arriving for a gathering and arguing with Barber over a parking space. Neighbors described Barber as wearing a mask and using a cane before the shots were fired. Detectives later recovered a handgun inside Barber’s apartment as part of the investigation…