Shooters at Duquesne Sentenced: The two men who shot several Duquense players in 2006 will serve years of prison time after pleading guilty to attempted homicide and aggravated assault. William Holmes will serve 18 to 40 years, and Derek Lee will serve seven to 14 years. The two reached the plea agreement because they did not want to risk substantially longer prison terms if found guilty in a trial. Holmes could have faced as much as 200 years in prison.
Holmes and Lee shot Duquesne players Sam Ashaolu, Shawn James, Kojo Mensah, Aaron Jackson and Stuard Baldonado at a school dance Sept. 17, 2006. They had an argument with the players after one woman who attended the dance with them decided to flirt with the players. Holmes and Lee opened fire, though Lee fired two shots and hit no one. That is why his sentence is half of Holmes’. Most of the players were not seriously hurt, but Ashaolu has bullet fragments lodged in his head and was in critical condition for a while. [10/29/07]
