'He's not a killer,' says father of Akron man sentenced to life for friend's shooting

He may not have meant to shoot his friend.

But DeAngelo Preston knew he might be shooting someone when he fired a gun through an apartment door.

That’s the message David Lehman Jr., the uncle of Nykayla Lehman, delivered during Preston’s sentencing in Summit County Common Pleas Court for shooting and killing his niece.

“He knew what happens when you pull the trigger,” Lehman said. “He knew someone was on the other side of that door. He knew they would not escape.”

Preston was convicted in June after a jury trial of murder and other charges in the July 2019 fatal shooting of Nykayla, 20. After Preston realized he had shot his friend, attorneys say he attempted to take his own life by shooting himself.

Judge Kathryn Michael sentenced Preston Monday to life in prison with possible parole after 21 years.

Preston, 22, who argued the shooting was accidental, plans to appeal.

Preston shoots friend through door, calls 911, then shoots himself

Preston, 22, shot Nykayla Lehman, 20, at a home in the 400 block of West Thornton Street in Akron shortly before midnight on July 19, 2019.

Prosecutors say Preston, Lehman and a few other friends were hanging out and drinking when Lehman left to go to her grandmother's nearby home.

Preston and their friends continued to drink and hang out.

A short time later, they heard a knock at the back door.

Preston shot twice through the door, striking Lehman in the neck and jaw. When he opened the door, he saw that he'd shot Lehman. He called 911, then shot himself.

Preston was found in the front yard, with the lower third of his face badly damaged. He was rushed to the hospital.

Prosecutors argued in the trial that Preston acted “purposely, knowingly and recklessly” when he shot through the door.

Kerry O’Brien, Preston’s attorney, said this was an accident and wasn’t murder or felonious assault.

Jurors found Preston not guilty of murder that involves purposely causing a person’s death but guilty of murder that means causing a death as the result of felonious assault. They also found Preston guilty of felonious assault and reckless homicide. All the charges included gun specifications that carry with them additional prison time.

Victim's uncle hopes Preston spends the rest of his life in prison

Family members of both Preston and Lehman attended the sentencing, which was emotional and at times heated.

Assistant Prosecutor Seema Misra urged Michael to impose a sentence of life in prison with possible parole after 15 years for the murder charge, plus an additional six years for two of the gun specifications, which would make Preston eligible for parole after 21 years.

Lehman, Nykayla’s uncle who acted as the family’s spokesman, said he’d like to see Preston spend the rest of his life in prison.

Lehman said Nykayla was a granddaughter, mother, sister, niece, cousin and friend. He said she enjoyed singing and learning about God and was loving, caring and supportive.

“Our family will never be the same,” Lehman said.

Lehman said his niece didn’t deserve what happened to her. He said her only mistake was the friends she chose.

“She believed she chose friends who would keep her safe and loved her, but she was wrong,” he said. “Preston is responsible for her death and will be responsible for our pain forever.”

Attorney says Preston has severe injuries from shooting himself

O’Brien said Preston was badly injured when he shot himself that night. He said Preston doesn’t have a lower jaw and is looking at future surgeries. He said he isn’t able to eat normal food and has trouble speaking.

“I can think of no other dramatic example of being remorseful than putting a gun to your face and pulling the trigger,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien urged Michael to set aside the jury’s verdicts and sentence Preston for reckless homicide, rather than murder. He also brought up how Preston’s jury was made up of all white people, with the only Black juror excused before the trial started because of an illness.

Michael, though, said she wasn’t going to set aside the jury’s verdicts. She said these issues could be brought up in Preston’s appeal.

Preston’s father says his son isn’t ‘a killer’

Ken Preston, DeAngelo’s father, said Lehman’s family might not understand how rough of an area it is where this shooting happened.

Preston said this is a place where people carry guns to protect themselves. He said his son’s friend was killed a year and a half before this, and the same people tried to kill his son.

“He’s not a killer,” Preston said. “He didn’t mean to kill that young lady.”

Michael said the evidence did show that the house where the shooting happened had been the target of more than one home invasion, which may have been the reason weapons were readily available. The judge, though, said Preston showed poor judgment by drinking and firing a weapon.

“When someone — a young person — is drinking and has firearms, this is the kind of thing that happens,” she said.

The elder Preston said he doesn’t carry a gun but is scared for his life every day because of all the people who do.

“The law is too harsh on him,” he said of his son.

DeAngelo Preston apologized to both Lehman’s family and his own. He said he is grieving with them because Nykayla was his friend.

“I ain’t meant to hurt nobody,” Preston said. “I made a mistake.”

“I’m sorry to everyone involved,” he added.

Michael said she didn’t have a choice and had to impose the 21-years-to-life sentence.

Several of Preston’s loved ones sobbed when they heard this.

“We love you!” one of them told Preston as a deputy led him from the courtroom in handcuffs.

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com, 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: DeAngelo Preston gets life in prison for friend's fatal shooting