Former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Cain Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison for shooting a person while trying to target an accused child molester, The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said.
Velasquez tried to shoot 46-year-old Harry Goularte, who is facing felony child molestation charges, but missed and struck an innocent person, according to prosecutors.
Velasquez accused Goularte of molesting a relative of his and sought to carry out what prosecutors deemed vigilante justice.
The 2022 shooting unfolded in Morgan Hill, outside the Charter School of Morgan Hill, on the 9500 block of Monterey Road. During a chase that ensued, Velasquez fired several gunshots at a truck that Goularte was riding in. He shot and injured the driver of the truck, but he missed his intended target. The shooting victim survived.
Velasquez was convicted in 2024 of attempted murder, felony assault charges, and other charges.
He is a two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion who retired from mixed martial arts in 2019.
Goularte is being prosecuted in a separate case for felony child molestation, according to the DA’s office. He remains out on bail while trial preparations are being made, despite the DA’s objection to his release. His next court date is June 2, court records show.