South Philadelphia Landlord Sentenced For Attempted Murder Of Tenant
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A South Philadelphia man who settled a bitter landlord-tenant dispute with gunfire has been sentenced.
The landlord, Harold Blackson, let bullets fly in April 2010 during an ongoing dispute with a tenant, 47-year-old James Douglass. Now, Blackson has been sentenced to 7-14 years in prison for attempted murder.
Douglass says Blackson opened fire during the dispute, shooting him in the hand, shoulder, and chest, and then as Douglass fell to the floor, shot him again in the face and throat.
Douglass says he begged for his life, then, despite excruciating pain, played dead as Blackson rolled him into a rug.
"By the grace of God, I guess he didn't have no plans for me to leave yet," Douglass told reporters after the sentencing. "I just played dead, when I saw the opportunity to leave, when he went upstairs, I ran out the door."
He says Blackson tried to shoot him again as he ran but the gun just clicked.
Blackson told the court that Douglass was a pain, he pushed it to see what would happen, and he got hurt.
Reported by Tony Hanson, KYW Newsradio 1060
