WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man convicted of fatally shooting a teen at a party has been sentenced to 45 years in prison.
The Palm Beach Post reports 23-year-old Shamar Lawrence was sentenced Tuesday for second-degree murder in the 2016 death of Branden Jackson and having a firearm as a felon.
Court documents say Lawrence's younger brother got into a fight with the 17-year-old Jackson at a party and called Lawrence for help.
A Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office report says witnesses gave conflicting accounts of what happened at the party. Some say Lawrence was defending his younger brother, and others say he shot Jackson in cold blood.
Circuit Judge Kirk Volker called the shooting "horrific" and said there's no sentence that will bring Jackson back or that's what he would impose.