Danville man sentenced for March shootings

Jarris Butler has been sentenced to 10 years and three months in prison for shooting three men during a March 31 fight in front of his home on Oxford Street.

“I didn’t mean to do it, I was scared,” Butler told Danville Circuit Court Judge Joseph Milam at the sentencing hearing. “What else was I supposed to do?”

Butler, 18, faced sentencing on two counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, two counts of malicious wounding, one count of assault and battery and one count of possession of a firearm by a juvenile.

Butler, who was 17 at the time of the incident, had argued with his pregnant girlfriend earlier in the day and pushed her, he said during the sentencing hearing Monday. She told her brother about the argument, and the brother took two friends with him to Butler’s home to confront him.

During that confrontation, Butler shot all three of the men with a pistol-grip, pump-action shotgun. One was injured in a leg, another in the hand and the third was shot in the face.

According to testimony at the sentencing hearing, the man shot in the face has lost his left eye, has some ongoing problems with his right eye and is still being treated for his injuries. His medical bills alone have exceeded $70,000.

Butler’s attorney, Claudette Robertson, said she and Butler both realized he would have to serve a minimum of eight years for the firearms charges, but asked for leniency on the other charges.

Robertson said that despite Butler’s juvenile record — which includes being suspended from school for having a gun and some other assault charges — he had been working on turning his life around.

“He was doing things right until this night,” she said, calling the evening of March 31 a “tragedy.”

Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Newman agreed that the shootings were a tragedy, but said Butler lied to the police, fled the scene and asked his brother to hide the gun.

He also noted that Butler and his friends had guns on hand that day “because they were worried about something that happened earlier in the day.”

Newman said the fight started out as a one-on-one fistfight between Butler and his girlfriend’s brother, but that Butler went for the gun when he was losing that battle.

He also noted that leniency beyond the eight-year mandatory sentence for the gun charges would include no punishment for the victims’ injuries.

“At some point, he (Butler) will get out,” Newman said. “But (one of the shooting victims) will never have his sight.”

Butler testified in his own behalf, saying he was sorry for the incident. His mother and pastor also testified on his behalf, saying he was turning his life around and wanted to be a good parent to his 2-month-old son by one girlfriend and a second child due in August by the woman he argued with on March 31.

Milam said the jury rejected Butler’s claims of self-defense during the June trial, and said it is unfortunate Butler would not give up guns, even after getting in trouble with them before.

“I think the jury got it right,” Milam said. “This case is an example of why we shouldn’t have guns. Once the trigger is pulled, the damage is done.”

In addition to the mandatory eight-year sentence on the two firearms charge, Milam sentenced Butler to seven years for each of the malicious wounding charges, suspending all but 2 years; 12 months suspended for the possession of a firearm charge; and 12 months, with nine suspended, on the assault and battery charge.

In addition, Butler will have two years of probation that will include parenting classes, anger management and substance abuse counseling, and will be on good behavior for 25 years. Milam also ordered Butler to make restitution for his victims’ medical bills.