Hamden Man to be Sentenced for Shooting that Paralyzed Resident

A Hamden resident will serve 15 years in jail for his part in the shooting of a town man who was left permanently paralyzed, according to the New Haven Register.

Randall Beach of the Register reports Kevin Blackman, 25, of Dixwell Avenue, will be sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree assault, conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery and criminal possession of a firearm. He was originally charged with first-degree but that will be dropped in the plea deal, according to Beach.

Blackman and three other men were arrested in connection to the July 2, 2010 shooting of John Belcher in which he was shot in his left chest and the bullet exited out of his neck. The cases for the other men are pending, according to Beach.

Hamden Police responded to Elliott Drive on the night of the shooting. When officers arrived they found Belcher, then 25, lying face down in the driveway with a gunshot wound to the chest and neck. Investigation found that Belcher was confronted by three individuals who were wearing face masks, and witnesses said that at least two of them had guns, according to previous Patch reports.

Read the full story at the New Haven Register here.