A Rockville teen was sentenced to 25 years in prison Wednesday for shooting two people at the Rockville Metro Station last May.
Kevin Nguyen was sentenced to 20 years for attempted murder and five years for using a handgun while committing a felony.
Nguyen shot 16-year-old Jared Cannon and 19-year-old Wasima Gray on May 18, 2012. He pleaded guilty to the crime back in December.
The gang-related shooting stemmed from a fight at Richard Montgomery High School the previous day, prosecutors said. Nguyen approached Cannon at the Metro station and fired four times, hitting Cannon and grazing Gray, an innocent bystander.
A jury previously found Nguyen's accomplice, 17-year-old Tavares Harris, guilty of first-degree assault and use of a handgun to commit a crime of violence. Harris provided Nguyen with the gun he used, prosecutors said.
Nguyen faced a minimum of five years and a maximum of 50 years. The attempted murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years, while the handgun charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
Nguyen's lawyer hoped for the minimum "so that he has a chance to come out and have a productive life after the sentence that he serves.”
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“Mr. Nguyen faces many years in prison because of the misguided glorification of the gangster lifestyle," Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said.
He added, "If you belong to a gang and shoot a rival or anyone for that matter or provide the weapon, police will find you and we will put you behind bars.”
One of Nguyen's attorneys, Paul Kemp, said the sentence was longer than he had hoped for, but he said he was pleased the judge had agreed to recommend a facility for juvenile offenders, the Associated Press reported.
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