Downtown shooting nets 160-month prison term

Hennepin County District Court Judge Kerry Meyer sentenced a St. Paul man to more than 13 years in prison for a shooting that occurred in downtown Minneapolis, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Thursday.

A Hennepin County District Court jury found Delorien Chatman, 29, guilty of all three counts against him on May 3. Judge Meyer sentenced him Wednesday afternoon to 160 months in prison for the first-degree assault conviction, 60 months for the second-degree assault conviction and 60 months for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. The sentences are to be served concurrently.

“Mr. Chatman recklessly shot his gun in a crowded area of downtown and hit an innocent man. Thanks to the lifesaving efforts by the medical team at Hennepin County Medical Center, the victim is alive today,” said Freeman. “We agree with the jury’s verdict and the sentence handed down today by Judge Meyer. We hope that Mr. Chatman will turn his life around, but if not, society will be protected from him for a good long while.”

According to testimony in court and the criminal complaint, at about 7 p.m. on August 22, Minneapolis police responded to a shooting at Sixth Street and Hennepin Avenue where they found an innocent bystander with a gunshot wound to his stomach.

Witnesses said that two men had gotten into a fight and Chatman, who was the shooter, was knocked to the ground. He pulled out a gun, stood up, fired one shot that hit the victim and then ran away. Witnesses provided a detailed description of Chatman’s clothing. Based on this and surveillance video from the scene, Chatman was later apprehended wearing the same clothing.

Chatman will receive credit for 278 days already served and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $6,747.45.