A Chattanooga man who was initially charged with first-degree murder pleaded guilty to reckless homicide for killing an Atlanta man and attempted second-degree murder for injuring another.
Daquan Mason, 21, was sentenced Friday to 12 years in prison in connection with the fatal shooting of Roger Bell, 32.
Mason and Bell had a brotherly relationship, and it was not believed that Mason intended to kill Bell, Chattanooga police investigator Joseph Seech testifed last year.
The first-degree murder charge against Mason was dismissed because the facts of the case were not strong enough to take to trial, Hamilton County Assistant District Attorney Parker Garrett said by phone.
Neither Mason’s family nor Garrett is happy with the loss of life and the shooting, but they all understood the hurdles that would be faced, Garrett said.