Man sentenced to 4 years in East Chicago shooting death

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) - A 19-year-old Indiana man was sentenced to serve four years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to the fatal shooting of an innocent bystander during a shootout with police.

Terrell Davis pleaded guilty in January to reckless homicide in the death of 56-year-old Charles Foard. The Times of Northwest Indiana reported that Davis could have received between one and six years in prison for the charge.

Prosecutors previously dropped a murder charge in exchange for Davis' guilty plea.

Officials have said Foard had been in a minor car accident in East Chicago on July 7. He was standing in an alley with police officers sent to take a report on that crash when Davis drove his car quickly toward them and fired his gun.

Davis' attorney said he was fleeing from shots fired by someone else and did not intend to shoot Foard.

Foard died of a gunshot wound to the chest. Davis received several gunshot wounds when police returned fire.

Foard's sister, Cassandra Foard-Anglemyer, described her brother as a kind, loving man who worked as a mechanic like their father.

"I hope we can do better as a society, to make sure this can't happen again," she said.