17 Year Prison Sentence For Man Who Shot Security Officers
Trenton NJ April 29 2019
A Trenton man who was kicked out of a party at a VFW hall in Willingboro two years ago and responded by opening fire on two security guards – one a Vietnam veteran – will serve at least 17 years in state prison before he’s eligible for parole, authorities announced Friday.
A judge sentenced Brandon Washington to 20 years prison Thursday on two counts of passion provocation attempted manslaughter. A Burlington County jury convicted the 34-year-old in February, and the sentence calls for 17 years without parole, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office announced.
“The two victims in this case were simply doing their jobs protecting the guests at the VFW and, because of Washington’s homicidal behavior, it could have cost them their lives,” Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said in a statement.
“One of these victims served our country in the Vietnam war,” Coffina said. “To think that he made it home safely and years later could have been killed by this defendant’s hot-headed actions should infuriate law-abiding members of the public.”
Washington was at a party at the Levittown Memorial VFW Post 4914 on Creekview Road on Feb. 16, 2017, when he got unruly and the guards kicked him out.
When they got him outside, he pulled a gun and fired, striking one man in the temple and the other in the arm. At the time, authorities identified the victims as two men, ages 56 and 67.
Assistant Prosecutor Michael Angermeier handled the case.
nj.com
