Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Thursday, June 6, that a Bronx man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for fatally shooting a man in Mott Haven in 2021 when the defendant was still a teen.

In the context of the announcement, Clark said, “The defendant, 17 years old at the time, randomly approached the victim who was just hanging out on the sidewalk and opened fire, killing him. This is another act of senseless violence and a reminder that we must give teenagers other options, so they do not get their hands on a gun.”

Clark said the defendant, Shawn Bass, 20, of East 139th Street, was sentenced on June 6 by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Gale Roberts to 20 years in prison and five years post-release supervision, adding that the defendant pleaded guilty on Nov. 28, 2023, to first-degree manslaughter.

According to the investigation, on Aug. 27, 2021, at approximately 9:26 a.m. near St. Ann’s Avenue and East 137^th Street in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, the defendant, who was 17 years old at the time, approached Demetry Aristud, 29, and opened fire.

Bass shot the victim at least six times, with at least one of those shots hitting him in the chest, leading to his death. The attack was caught on surveillance video and police were able to locate the defendant at 257 Alexander Avenue, also in Mott Haven, despite his attempt to evade officers by discarding and changing his clothing.