N. Warren resident sentenced to 2-5 years in prison | News, sports, work

Just over a year after the accidental shooting in Warren, a North Warren man was sentenced to two to five years in state prison.

Zachery Wells, 21, of 11 Vine St., North Warren, pleaded guilty in November before Judge Gregory Hammond. The case was prosecuted by Cody Brown, an assistant district attorney. Douglas H. Sullivan was the defense attorney.

Wells was sentenced Friday by Judge Gregory Hammond to 30 to 60 months in state prison with no risk of recidivism, to pay $9,346.97 in restitution, to undergo mental health, drug and alcohol testing and prohibit contact with the victim’s family. family.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Wells said during a July 26 police interview that he squeezed the trigger without pointing the gun in a safe direction because he believed there was no bullet in the chamber.

Conewango Township police were dispatched shortly after midnight on Jan. 1 to 11 Vine St. to report a shooting at this address. A woman answered the door and allegedly told police it was a 17-year-old male “he shot himself in the upstairs bedroom” according to the probable cause affidavit. Police say they went upstairs and observed Wells “walks out of his bedroom, shouting repeatedly, ‘No, don’t come out.’

The affidavit says Wells was arrested before police saw the juvenile “I’m lying on (Wells’) bed covered in blood.” Officers observed blood on the bed and a gun under the juvenile’s right arm.

“Found Out Later” the statement states, “that (the juvenile) died from a single gunshot wound to the head.”

Wells told police he, the juvenile and a third person were in the bedroom and were there “(expletive) around” with a gun that the juvenile allegedly brought home multiple times.

“These Guns” police say “were known (to the minors and Wells) to steal.”

Two 9mm guns and what the police call “AR-15 style rifle” found in the apartment. Three mobile phones were confiscated, it revealed “multiple videos and photos showing guns in (Wells’) possession in his own bedroom on Vine St.”

Police say further investigation determined both guns were stolen – one from a camp in Marienville and the other from a vehicle parked in North Warren in October 2023.

In statements made to the court, Wells allegedly admitted during a July hearing that he had been drinking alcohol at the time of the incident and told law enforcement that the situation was “a terrible accident.” Wells reportedly told investigators he had a gun on him “and was sitting in the corner of the bedroom when the gun went off.”

Officers say Wells showed how to use a gun, but “he stated he was unsure how the firearm fired because he ‘checked’ and made sure the gun was empty.”

Wells allegedly told police that he “inserted an empty magazine into the gun and physically squeezed the trigger without pointing it to a safe location.

“The accused did not properly check whether there was a chambered cartridge inside the gun” – – the statement states. “This resulted in the defendant pulling the trigger and firing the firearm at (the minor), resulting in his death.”

Police state in a probable cause statement that the information provided by Wells is consistent with all other evidence and “would only be known to law enforcement or to a person on the scene at the time of the incident.”

No charges were filed on two felony counts of receiving stolen property and a misdemeanor count of tampering/falsifying physical evidence.