Video: Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Shooting

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LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) — A Columbus man will spend 15 years in prison for shooting another man in the head.

During a brief hearing Friday, Lowndes County Circuit Court Judge Lee Howard sentenced 45-year-old Jerry Lee Darnell to 20 years for aggravated assault but suspended five years. Darnell also was fined $2,000 plus court costs.

Two unrelated burglary charges were dismissed.

A jury deliberated an hour Wednesday before finding Darnell guilty of the May 2012 shooting of 35-year-old Bernard Harris. He was shot in the head and stomach during a dispute outside William Roberts Terrace in East Columbus.

Darnell claimed he shot Harris to protect a woman after Harris hit her. Darnell and woman are now married.