A Reno man who was serving parole for a violent crime conviction in California when he fired gunshots that severely injured an innocent teenage bystander in a nearby apartment has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Reno police say 32-year-old Carl Arthure Collins fired seven shots at a car as it drove off after he got into an argument with another person in January.
Collins missed the driver but one of the stray bullets hit a 14-year-old girl who was visiting a friend in the apartment building.
The girl underwent emergency surgery and survived but prosecutors say she still has a bullet lodged in her back.
Collins was arrested four days later in New Mexico.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced last week on one count each of battery with a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm, discharging a firearm at or into an occupied structure and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Collins was out on parole at the time after he was convicted of two violent felonies in California for battery causing serious bodily injury. He’ll be eligible for parole this time after serving a minimum of 10 years.
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