A man who pleaded guilty to shooting a Derby man in Ansonia in 2013 was sentenced to serve six and a half years in prison.
Gordon Cole, 19, had pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree assault and first-degree robbery in February.
Cole was arrested Dec. 26, 2013, four days after police said he shot a 22-year-old Derby man behind an apartment house on Lester Street.
According to an arrest warrant written by Ansonia Detective James Frolish, the Derby man rode his scooter to a friend’s apartment and noticed Cole standing outside the building.
Sometime later, the man was behind the building working on his scooter when Cole approached him with a hooded sweatshirt pulled over his head.
Cole tried to rob the man. A struggle ensued after Cole reached into the man’s pocket.
Cole then shot the man in the hip and then tried to shoot a second time, but the weapon would not fire.
The victim told police he recognized Cole even though his hood was pulled up. In fact, the victim attended Derby schools with Cole and his extended family. He picked Cole out of a photo display, as did an anonymous witness who tipped off detectives.
The victim was treated at Bridgeport Hospital.
On Wednesday (April 22) at Superior Court in Milford, Cole was sentenced to 12 years in prison, but the sentence will be suspended after Cole serves six-and-a-half years, according to court records.
He will be on probation for five years after he gets out of jail.
As part of the sentence, Cole was ordered to have no contact with the victim.
The Valley Indy left a message Wednesday with Cole’s lawyer.
