Othello man sentenced in child’s death

SPOKANE — An Othello man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm after an incident that left his 4-year-old child dead, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Spokane.

Felipe Tapia-Perez, 29, purchased a stolen firearm in February 2021, according to court documents. Soon after, he was involved in a domestic dispute with his intimate partner, who had a restraining order against him, in a vehicle outside her Othello home. In the course of the argument, the gun went off and shot the child, who was waiting outside the vehicle, in the head. The child was driven to Othello Community Hospital but died at the hospital.

Due to his lack of lawful immigration status, Tapia-Perez was prohibited from possessing firearms within the United States, the statement said, which was the source of the federal charges. He was sentenced in Adams County Superior Court to 86 months in prison for first-degree manslaughter, and in federal court for unlawful alien in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm. The sentences will be served concurrently, the statement said.