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Man who shot at Somalis gets 39-year prison term
[SHABELLENEWS] Anthony Sawina was sentenced Monday to 39 years in prison for shooting into a car full of young Somali men and wounding two of them in what many Muslims considered a hate crime.The sentence, more severe than had been requested by attorneys for either side in Sawina’s trial, was handed down by Hennepin County District Judge Kathryn Quaintance. Just minutes before the sentence was read, Sawina, 26, of Lauderdale, had apologized to the Somali and Muslim communities and to the men he wounded. After hearing Quaintance issue the lengthy prison term, however, he shouted, “You people are the real criminals. People are killing each other and they get less time. This is injustice at its finest and you know it.” After his outburst, deputies moved in to take Sawina away. On May 11, a Hennepin County District Court jury rejected Sawina’s self-defense argument and found him guilty of nine counts of assault and attempted first- and second-degree murder. “The evidence showed that [Sawina’s] conduct was reprehensible and shocking,” County Attorney Mike Freeman said after the verdict, adding that he would seek a prison sentence “north of 20 years” for Sawina. Quaintance’s sentence nearly doubled that prison term. On Monday, Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Patrick Lofton argued for a 25-year sentence by running some of the sentences consecutively. Sawina’s attorney argued for three years for each of the two bullets that struck the victims, for a total of six years. Posted by: Fred 2017-06-14 |
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