Colorado Springs man gets 10 years in prison for road rage shooting | Dishes

The Colorado Springs man accused of firing multiple shots at a mother and her child during a road rage incident was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison after accepting a plea deal.

Bryan Alexander Petersen, 24, was arrested by Colorado Springs police on July 4 last year after a woman said a man shot at her car in a traffic accident in the area of ​​North Carefree Circle and Peterson Road on the city’s east side.

The affidavit for the incident states that the woman, whose name has been redacted from the affidavit, was “brake checked” several times by another driver before the driver of the vehicle produced a handgun and fired two shots at her car.

A photo of the shooter’s car taken by the victim led police to Petersen’s home, where police found the car involved in the earlier road rage incident, according to the affidavit. Petersen was arrested shortly thereafter, claiming he was the victim of road rage on the part of the woman driving the car he shot at and that he only drew his gun because he feared for his life.

In the affidavit, police say Petersen said he understood he “mishandled the situation and was in the wrong” but that he believed the woman driving the other car was trying , trying to get him off the road, and that’s when he yelled at her. When he pulled over, he saw the woman ” rummaging around in her center console and thought she was pulling out a gun.”

Court records show Petersen pleaded guilty earlier this year to attempted second-degree murder, a Class 3 felony.

At Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, Petersen’s attorney said his client has since accepted responsibility for the shooting and that it was a mistake he would not make again.

“This court and every other court will never see Mr. Petersen again after he receives his sentence,” Steven Rodemer, Petersen’s attorney, said in court.

The shooting victim did not appear in court Wednesday but had prosecutor Stephanie Redfield read a letter to the court summarizing how traumatic the incident was for her and her child.

After brief statements from both attorneys, Judge Chad Miller accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Petersen to 10 years in the Department of Corrections with three years of mandatory probation upon his release.

Petersen also received eight days of credit for time served.