A young man who lost money gambling on a pool game and shot two people was sentenced to nearly two decades in prison. The incident dates back to December 2022 when two people were shot at a pool hall at Port Jefferson in New York.
Violent Criminals Will Be Held Accountable for Their Actions
An investigation saw the suspect in the crime arrested early in February last year. Earlier this year, the 27-year-old man from Bronx, identified with the initials A.C., was found guilty of a range of felonies, as announced by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
On August 23, the young man was found guilty of three counts of criminal possession of a weapon, as well as three counts of criminal use of a firearm. He was also found guilty of attempted robbery, four counts of assault and one count of petit larceny.
All of the aforementioned charges are felonies with the exception of the larceny one which is classified as a misdemeanor. Following the August decision that convicted the man in a jury trial heard before Supreme Court Justice Richard Ambro, the man was sentenced on Thursday.
For his crimes, the 27-year-old was sentenced to 18 years in prison by Justice Ambro. The young man’s prison sentence is followed by five years of supervised release.
“With this sentence, we want the public to know that we are holding perpetrators of violent crimes accountable.“
Raymond A. Tierney, Suffolk County District Attorney
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced the sentencing of the 27-year-old Bronx man. According to Tierney, the latest sentence is a testament that violent criminals will be held accountable for their actions. “The defendant attempted to settle a petty financial dispute with a gun but instead will be spending the next 18 years in prison,” he added.
Attempted Robbery Results in Injuries for Two Victims
The incident that saw the 27-year-old man land in jail for nearly 20 years dates back to December 28, 2022. At the time, the man played pool at a hall in Port Jefferson. What’s known is that the man continuously placed wagers on pool games and suffered “mounting financial losses,” as described by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
At some point, the 27-year-old man left the pool hall only to return with a gun and a ski mask. The culprit entered the venue carrying the loaded firearm and attempted to recover the money he gambled and lost. A brawl erupted that continued on the outside of the pool hall.
Once the 27-year-old man freed himself from the grasp of one of the victims who tried to take away his gun, he discharged his weapon. One of the victims was shot in the groin area, while the other one suffered from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Luckily, the two victims survived the violent encounter. Although the Bronx man was on the run for a couple of months, he was arrested in Manhattan by the Suffolk County Police Department on February 10, 2023.