Dayton man sentenced to decades in prison for shooting

A Dayton man was sentenced to at least 20 years in prison this week in connection to a shooting that followed a birthday party.

Shaquille Phillip Shackleford, 28, also was ordered to register as a violent offender, the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office said. Records show Shackleford pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court to attempted murder and other charges.

Shackleford was sentenced to serve 20 to 25½ years in prison.

An indictment in the case says the incident took place on May 11 in Montgomery County. A police report says it happened in the 1600 block of Darst Avenue.

In a sentencing memorandum filed in the case ahead of the sentencing, Shackleford’s attorney, David Stenson, said the incident was the result of a culmination “of extreme provocation and bullying behavior by the victim.”

The memorandum says the victim has a criminal record, bullied and threatened Shackleford’s aunt and had driven past the party in a menacing manner.

“It appears that Shaquille did not initially intend to harm (the victim), but that (the victim), who is a larger person than Shaquille, appeared at the residence where Shaquille had been attending the party, exited his vehicle, and rushed Shaquille in a threatening manner and that Shaquille, in that moment, attempted to defend himself and his loved ones from (the victim).”

However, the memorandum says that Shackleford is not claiming self-defense, and that his conduct may have been an overreaction. The defense said the conduct of the victim was a mitigating factor the judge should take into account when determining the sentence.

Shackleford was sentenced by Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Gerald Parker. Shackleford remains in the Montgomery County Jail.

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