Man who fired gun in house gets 7 years
A Philadelphia man who fired multiple shots from a semiautomatic handgun inside a North Philadelphia rowhouse in which six children - including his own - were present, was sentenced to more than seven years in a federal lockup yesterday.
A Philadelphia man who fired multiple shots from a semiautomatic handgun inside a North Philadelphia rowhouse in which six children - including his own - were present, was sentenced to more than seven years in a federal lockup yesterday.
Nobody was harmed in the incident, which took place on an evening in April 2007 at the home of the mother of the shooter's girlfriend.
Derrick Coleman, 23, who has a lengthy criminal history, pleaded guilty last May to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He has been in federal custody since August 2007.
Court papers said that Coleman fought arresting officers' attempts to disarm him.
Defense attorney Mark Wilson said that Coleman was high on PCP at the time and was depressed over his inability to find a job and provide for his family.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily McKillip said that nothing in Coleman's background suggested that he was interested in providing for his children. She said that he had made less than $3,500 since 2003, citing a pre-sentence investigation report prepared by the Probation Department.
"This man has dedicated his life to playing with guns and taking drugs," she said.
Coleman told U.S. District Judge Gene E.K. Pratter prior to sentencing that he accepted "full responsibility" for his acts.
Under questioning from the judge, Coleman admitted that he had even taken money from his mother to feed his drug addiction, but didn't tell her what the money was for.
The judge wasn't impressed.
"You took money from your mother - not to buy something for your children but to poison yourself with drugs," she said, adding that Coleman had made "no demonstrable effort" to improve his life since he dropped out of high school in his junior year.
"It's time for you to take care of yourself," she said.
Coleman had faced a sentence of 70 to 87 months, under advisory guidelines.
Wilson said that Coleman has no recollection of how he got the gun or even that he fired it.
Coleman's girlfriend heard gunshots and ran down the steps of her mother's home on Waterloo Street near Wilt. She found Coleman sitting on the front stoop with a handgun that belonged to her, court papers said. The gun was cradled in his lap.
