Police

Two to four for shooting another man in the face in Riverhead

A Riverhead man police say shot another man in the face in late 2016 was sentenced Monday to two to four years in prison.

Shawn James, 30, had initially been charged with first-degree assault with the intention of causing serious physical injury following a Dec. 19, 2016, incident in which police said he shot another man in the face after an argument in a parking lot near Maple and East avenues.

The victim, who recovered, was taken to Stony Brook University Medical Center and was eventually able to pick Mr. James out of a photo lineup, identifying him as the shooter.

Mr. James was later indicted on a second-degree assault charge, but in February, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of attempted second-degree assault.

He took the plea with the promise of two to four years in jail,” his court-appointed attorney, Dan Barker, said at the time.

Attempted second-degree assault is considered a nonviolent felony, he said.

“The minimum he could have gotten if he was convicted on the charges that he went to trial for was five in jail, with five years post supervision, and the maximum he could have gotten was seven years in jail, with five years of post-release supervision,” Mr. Barker explained.

Supreme Court Justice Richard Ambro kept his end of the official bargain and sentenced to Mr. James to two to four years in prison Monday.

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