Ped Mall shooter sentenced to 24 years in prison

Lamar Wilson, the man convicted of shooting and killing 22-year-old Kaleek Jones on the Iowa City Ped Mall last summer, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison.

Wilson was convicted in January of voluntary manslaughter, two counts of assault with intent to inflict serious injury and intimidation with a weapon for killing Jones and hurting two others.

The judge has ordered him to serve all sentences consecutively with a mandatory minimum of five years.

Wilson's lawyers asked the judge to reconsider the verdicts because they thought there wasn't enough evidence and that it was an unfair trial. They also requested a new trial but all motions were denied. Kaleek Jone's mother and grandmother made victim impact statements. His mother said she hoped Wilson would remember Kaleek in prison.

"I hope that you remember the man's face, that you shot in the back, that you once called a friend... that you remember that there are three babies that are going to grow up without their daddy, that they will only have memories," said Shafona Jones.

Prosecutors originally charged him with first degree murder, but the Johnson County attorney praised the sentence.

"I'm hoping that the families can try to move on. I know that there is no such thing as closure when you have had a family member killed by violence. It's something that sticks with them but I hope that they can try to move on with their lives," said Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness.

The judge also ordered Wilson to pay 150 thousand dollars in restitution to Jones' family.

Wilson hasn't denied firing five bullets while on the crowded pedestrian mall, but says he did it in self-defense. The shots killed 22-year-old Kaleek Jones and injured Xavier Hicks and D'Andre Hicks.

Another man, Donte Taylor who faces three weapons charges for his role in the shooting, has a plea hearing scheduled for April 10.