A D.C. man was sentenced to 60 years in prison for the slaying of a honor roll student and the wounding of a second teenager.
Kwan Kearney, 20, was convicted by a D.C. jury in December of charges of first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault while armed, and a firearms offense.
Prosecutors said Kearney killed 17-year-old Joseph Sharps Jr. on the night of Nov. 8, 2010. The killing was random, prosecutors said.
Joseph, an honor roll student and varsity basketball player at Spingarn High School, had just finished his music homework and walked to a gas station with a friend to buy cigareettes.
While Sharps was talking on his cell phone, Kearney bumped into Joseph and accused him of reaching for something. Joseph shrugged as if to say that he had no idea what Kearney was talking about.
That’s when Kearney pulled out a Colt .38-caliber revolver and shot Joseph in the belly, prosecutors said.
Kearney kept firing, striking Joseph and Joseph’s friend in the leg.
