A man who used to be employed as a New Jersey state corrections officer is headed to prison after pleading guilty to aggravated assault charges in Newark, NJ.
The suspect was accused of shooting a 17-year-old girl while she walked on Leslie Street in Newark in June 2015. According to authorities, the suspect’s roommate said that someone fired a handgun outside the residence. The suspect then reportedly went outside and fired several gunshots at the person he believed to be responsible for the earlier shooting. However, one of the rounds fired by the suspect struck the teenage victim, who also happened to be in the street at that time.
Fortunately, the victim survived her shooting-related injuries. Essex County prosecutors called the shooting a “senseless act of violence” said that the juvenile victim could have died as a result of her gunshot wounds.
The suspect is likely to be sentenced to five years in NJ State Prison, in accordance with the terms of his plea deal with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. If the suspect had gone to trial in Essex County Superior Court, he would have faced weapons-related charges and a much lengthier term of incarceration.
The suspect’s plea agreement also calls for him to serve a minimum of 85 percent of his prison sentence before becoming eligible for release on parole.
For additional information about this case, read the NJ.com article, “Former Corrections Officer Admits Shooting 17-Year-Old.”
