SALEM, Mass. — Two men were sentenced to prison on Monday after pleading guilty in a fatal shooting at a 2019 basketball tournament in Lynn that killed Brandon Jesurum of Boston and wounded two bystanders.
Rogelleo Morrison, 49, of Lynn, pleaded guilty in Superior Court in Salem to manslaughter, two counts of assault and battery with a firearm, and two counts of armed assault with intent to murder, Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker said in a statement.
Kenneil Hammond, 37, of Lynn, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, two counts of assault and battery with a firearm, and two counts of armed assault with intent to murder, Tucker said.
Judge Thomas Drechsler sentenced Morrison to 13 to 15 years in state prison. He sentenced Hammond to 11 to 13 years in state prison.
On Aug. 24, 2019, at around 7:20 p.m., shots were fired into a crowd of more than 100 people, many of whom were children, at the Warren Street playground in Lynn.
The shooting killed Jesurum, who was 34. Two bystanders were also wounded that day and suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Tucker said.
During the plea hearing on Monday, prosecutor Maria Markos said the day before Jesurum was killed, a fight involving Morrison’s son took place in Morrison’s home, during which Jesurum pulled out a gun.
In handing down the sentences on Monday, Drechsler told Morrison and Hammond that attempting to take the law into one’s own hands is not a good idea. The judge called the playground shooting a “tragic and unfortunate event,” Tucker said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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