Gunman involved in NY mall shooting sentenced to 11 years

MINEOLA, N.Y. – A gunman whose weapon went off during a struggle with a security guard and wounded a bystander inside a suburban New York mall has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.

The shooting set off a Christmastime panic in December 2015 at the crowded Roosevelt Field Mall, on Long Island.

Nassau County prosecutors said 22-year-old Oliver Lee pleaded guilty in June to robbery and assault charges. He was sentenced Thursday.

Lee tried to rob a jewelry store and a security guard intervened. Lee’s semi-automatic handgun fired during a struggle for the weapon. A bullet struck a 69-year-old mall employee in the neck; he has recovered.

Newsday (http://nwsdy.li/2xvHox4 ) reports that an attorney for Lee said after the sentencing that he had been addicted to drugs for years.

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Information from: Newsday, http://www.newsday.com