Bens Drive Shooter Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison

ANNAPOLIS, MD — An Annapolis man originally charged with attempted murder will spend seven years in prison for a 2015 shooting.

Johnelle Downs, 25, of Annapolis was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in prison, with all but seven years suspended, according to Annapolis Police. Downs pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and use of a firearm in a felony or violent crime.

Downs was charged with the June 13, 2015, shooting of William Saunders, 26, of Annapolis.

Officers were called to the unit block of Bens Drive just after 1:30 a.m. June 13, 2015, for a report of a man shot outside an apartment building. The victim, Saunders, was shot once in the torso.

He was treated at Baltimore Shock Trauma.

A second suspect, Milton Colbert of Annapolis, was charged June 16, 2015, in connection with the shooting. He was charged with attempted first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, and several firearms violations.

Downs was originally charged with attempted first-degree murder and eight other counts related to the shooting.