A northwestern Indiana man has been sentenced to 55 years in prison for killing a man outside a Gary nightclub and shooting at a police officer at the scene.
A Lake County judge ordered the prison sentence on Friday for 32-year-old Fredrick Craft Jr. of Hammond. A jury convicted Craft in April on murder and attempted murder charges for the September shooting, during which prosecutors said Craft fired more than 80 gunshots into a crowded parking lot while wearing a bulletproof vest.
Kevin Blackmon, 28, of Gary died in the shooting as authorities said he had 14 gunshot wounds, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported.
Prosecutors said Gary police Officer Martin Garza saw Craft shooting Blackmon and ordered him to drop the gun, then shot Craft in the leg after he began shooting at Garza. The officer wasn’t injured.
Craft has maintained his innocence and didn’t testify during the sentencing hearing.