WASHINGTON — A former District Heights officer who shot and paralyzed a man while he was handcuffed has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Johnnie Riley, former District Heights cop, gets 5 years in prison for shooting man in the back, paralyzing him. #wtop
— Nick Iannelli (@NickWTOP) November 13, 2014
Johnnie Riley, 44, shot 28-year-old Kalvin Kyle after Kyle escaped a squad car in September 2012.
Riley had Kyle into custody after learning Kyle had been riding a stolen motorcycle.
When Kyle bolted from the police car, Riley shot him. The shots paralyzed Kyle from the waist down.
A jury last summer convicted Riley of assault, use of a firearm in the commission of a crime and misconduct in office.
Thursday’s sentencing hearing was Riley’s second. During the first one, he screamed obscenities and lunged at prosecutors.
The sentence is the minimum Riley could have received.
Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 25 years. The maximum sentence for the crimes could have been more than 45 years in prison.
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