Two Bethesda Mall Shooting Participants Sentenced To Prison

BETHESDA, MD — Two men were sentenced to prison Monday in connection to a shooting at Bethesda's Westfield Montgomery mall last March.

The shooting inside a mall parking lot occurred because of an altercation between Lucas Graves and David Montalvo and two other men, according to Montgomery County Police.

Before the shooting, Graves and Montalvo were caught on surveillance cameras walking throughout the mall and inside the Nordstrom store where one of the men worked, NBC Washington reported.

Graves and Montalvo eventually confronted the two individuals in the parking lot and opened fire.

Police said responded to the mall at 7101 Democracy Blvd. and found shell casings and parked vehicles that had been struck by at least one bullet. Graves and Montalvo fled the scene before units arrived.

"This is a case where reckless disregard for human life was of the utmost paramount, because they shot at two people they had a violent beef with," said Ramon Korionoff of the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office, per NBC Washington.

The two men were later arrested and held without bond.

Graves and Montalvo faced a laundry list of charges including first-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

On Monday, Graves was sentenced to 20 years, and Montalvo was sentenced to 15 years.

Images via Montgomery County Police