Terry Brown sentenced to nearly 37 years in Seventh Street Truck Park mass shooting in St. Paul
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The second man to be sentenced for his role in a deadly mass shooting in St. Paul received a 441-month sentence from a judge Tuesday morning.
Terry Brown was convicted of one count of second-degree murder, four counts of attempted second-degree murder and one count of illegally possessing a firearm last month.
A judge sentenced Brown to nearly 37 years for second-degree murder. He received concurrent sentences on the lesser charges, and credit for 667 days served.
Nearly two years ago, 14 people were hurt and one person was killed at the Seventh Street Truck Park when Brown and another man, Devondre Phillips, started shooting at each other. According to court documents, Brown and Phillips started shooting over allegations of domestic abuse between Brown and his girlfriend.
The bar shooting killed 27-year-old Marquisha Wiley.
"She had an incredible ability to brighten the room with her mere presence, bringing joy and positivity wherever she went," Wiley's sister said in court Tuesday. "I'll never see her get married or have babies or witness the beauty of what she could bring to the world. The loss of her potential is unmeasurable."
"Her brother held his sister as she took his last breath," Wiley's mother said. "Her boyfriend lost his soulmate of many years. Her best friend lost her best friend since childhood."
Brown's attorney argued for a downward departure based on the mitigating factor of "imperfect self-defense." The judge denied the motion.
Brown apologized in court, but said he "had no other choice but to try to defend my life" on the night of the shooting.
Last month, Phillips was sentenced to almost 29 years for multiple attempted second-degree murder charges.
One of the guns used in the shooting was purchased legally, then sold to someone else illegally in a straw purchase scheme. This prompted Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to file charges against Fleet Farm, accusing the chain of negligence.