A judge sentenced a Gary man to two years in prison Wednesday after admitting he opened fire at a couple outside a laundromat last spring.
Dy’Juan Washington, 21, pleaded guilty in December to criminal recklessness. He faced one to six years.
No one was hurt.
Police responded at 12:25 p.m. April 24. The couple said they were at Ladybug Cleaners, 2368 Grant Street, when Washington walked inside.
The man said he’s had issues with Washington for three years, but didn’t know his legal name when he went to the cops previously.
The man said he went to move his girlfriend’s vehicle when Washington pulled up and threatened them.
“I’ll kill you. Y’all playing with me,” he told the woman.
He fired three or four shots and nearly hit the man. The bullet pierced their door. Police found three casings nearby.
His defense lawyer Matthew Lawson said in court Wednesday it was part of a “feud” between neighbors.
He alleged the victim’s loose dog had bitten him and Washington killed it to protect himself.
Lawson later said that the male victim followed Washington with a gun in a grocery store about a month before the laundromat shooting.
The lawyer asked for his client to avoid prison with a community corrections sentence.
Deputy Prosecutor Keith Anderson played a less than a minute video clip of the shooting.
Others in the vehicle parked next to the victims could have been hurt, he said. He asked for a split four-year term with two in prison and two in community corrections.
Washington apologized in court and said he didn’t intend to hurt anyone else.
Judge Salvador Vasquez questioned Washington to rule out self-defense.
“Maybe it’s good you’re a bad shot,” he said.
He sentenced him to two years, saying it was a “break.”
Post-Tribune archives contributed.
mcolias@post-trib.com
