COLORADO SPRINGS — An Iraq war veteran who said he acted on reflex when he shot another man during a daytime brawl has been sentenced to 90 days in jail and two years’ probation.
Matthew Moore, 24, pleaded guilty to felony menacing Friday in the Aug. 25, 2007, shooting of 25-year-old Leo Garcia. Moore had been charged with attempted murder.
Moore, who began serving his sentence in June, was released from jail, for good behavior, before Friday’s sentence.
His punishment angered Garcia.
“It’s odd that someone would only get three months for shooting someone in the face and chest,” Garcia said.
After the hearing, Moore tried to apologize to Garcia, but an El Paso County sheriff’s deputy had to intervene after Garcia got angry.
Police said the shooting happened after a fight involving dozens of people who were armed with baseball bats and guns. Moore said he was defending himself from gang violence.
Moore shot Garcia twice with a handgun after Garcia went to Moore’s truck and grabbed Moore’s AK-47, pointing it at him and his friends, according to prosecutors. Deputy District Attorney Jack Roth said that was one of the reasons it would have been difficult to get an attempted-murder conviction.
Moore later told police he knew the AK-47 wasn’t loaded.
