Two of the four men who shot up a bodega in the middle of the day two years ago and injured two people were sentenced to prison
TRENTON -- Two of the four men who riddled a bodega with gunfire , wounding two on a fall afternoon two years ago committed a "depraved" act of violence, a prosecutor said Friday at their sentencings.
Raesean Sutphin The men, 21-year-old Raesean Sutphin and David Chavies, 20, were each sentenced to 10-year prison sentences Friday for aggravated assault following the October, 2014 shooting.
The other two men involved, Justin Hill and Semaj Conway, are scheduled to be sentenced later this year.
All four men played a part in the afternoon shooting at a bodega on the corner of St. Joe's and Girard Avenues in East Trenton on Oct. 20, 2014, prosecutors said.
Two shoppers were injured in the gunfire and were rushed to the hospital, but recovered from their wounds.
An attorney for Sutphin said Friday that the shooting was reckless and that the men had no malicious intent toward anyone in the store.
Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Tim Ward agreed that the shooters weren't targeting anyone but he said that the incident was different from a "reckless act."
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"They decided to fire into a grocery store, a bodega, that contained people who had nothing to do with anything the defendant was upset about," Ward said. He said most people do not need to worry about gunfire when they go grocery shopping.
"I don't know any word for that act but depraved," Ward said.
Prior to the sentencing, Superior Court Judge Peter Warshaw recalled a letter he'd received from one of the two victims injured in the gunfire.
The woman said she had a hard time leaving her house and that she wanted to move out of Trenton just to feel safe again, Warshaw said in court.
He added that he's seen no remorse from the men involved and that he believes they're at risk of reoffending.
Both Sutphin and Chavies will have to serve 85 percent - or eight years and six months - of their sentences before they are eligible for parole.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman