Doug Huffman
Banned
imported post
TACOMA — Dominick S. Maldonado, the gunman who told 911 dispatchers to "follow the screams" before wounding seven in a 2005 Tacoma Mall shooting rampage, was sentenced to more than 163 years in prison Friday.
Maldonado, 22, was convicted Oct. 2 of 15 crimes, including attempted murder, assault and kidnapping.
Sixty-one years were imposed as a special sentence for gun crimes. That portion can't be reduced for good behavior, and Maldonado must serve it before the rest of his prison term can begin.
Superior Court Judge Linda Lee handed down the sentence after a hearing that featured statements from Maldonado and two of his victims.
Roberta Davis, who was shot in the leg, told Maldonado that he "shed innocent blood that day," The News Tribune of Tacoma reported.
"You shed my blood," Davis said. "You spilled my blood but you didn't touch my spirit. No man can."
Maldonado said he'd been treated unfairly by the justice system, but he also said he owed victims and others at the mall that day an apology.
"I do take full responsibility," Maldonado said.
The shooting erupted at the mall just days before Thanksgiving in 2005.
Four people were taken hostage during the melee, which lasted for several hours. The most seriously wounded victim was left partially paralyzed.
During the trial, Maldonado's defense argued he was in the throes of a mental disorder and shouldn't have been held responsible for the assault.
Prosecutors, however, said Maldonado planned the attack for weeks, and they pointed to evidence that he called 911 just before the shooting and told a dispatcher to "follow the screams."
Deputy Pierce County Prosecutor Phil Sorensen argued for a prison term at the high end of sentencing guidelines. After the hearing, Sorensen said he was "glad that the community has this one behind it."
Defense attorney Keith MacFie asked Lee to depart from the standard range, saying no one was killed in the shooting.
"It is a death sentence. He is going to die in prison," MacFie said.
TACOMA — Dominick S. Maldonado, the gunman who told 911 dispatchers to "follow the screams" before wounding seven in a 2005 Tacoma Mall shooting rampage, was sentenced to more than 163 years in prison Friday.
Maldonado, 22, was convicted Oct. 2 of 15 crimes, including attempted murder, assault and kidnapping.
Sixty-one years were imposed as a special sentence for gun crimes. That portion can't be reduced for good behavior, and Maldonado must serve it before the rest of his prison term can begin.
Superior Court Judge Linda Lee handed down the sentence after a hearing that featured statements from Maldonado and two of his victims.
Roberta Davis, who was shot in the leg, told Maldonado that he "shed innocent blood that day," The News Tribune of Tacoma reported.
"You shed my blood," Davis said. "You spilled my blood but you didn't touch my spirit. No man can."
Maldonado said he'd been treated unfairly by the justice system, but he also said he owed victims and others at the mall that day an apology.
"I do take full responsibility," Maldonado said.
The shooting erupted at the mall just days before Thanksgiving in 2005.
Four people were taken hostage during the melee, which lasted for several hours. The most seriously wounded victim was left partially paralyzed.
During the trial, Maldonado's defense argued he was in the throes of a mental disorder and shouldn't have been held responsible for the assault.
Prosecutors, however, said Maldonado planned the attack for weeks, and they pointed to evidence that he called 911 just before the shooting and told a dispatcher to "follow the screams."
Deputy Pierce County Prosecutor Phil Sorensen argued for a prison term at the high end of sentencing guidelines. After the hearing, Sorensen said he was "glad that the community has this one behind it."
Defense attorney Keith MacFie asked Lee to depart from the standard range, saying no one was killed in the shooting.
"It is a death sentence. He is going to die in prison," MacFie said.
