Mahanoy City man convicted of shooting sentenced to 7 to 15 years in state prison
Dec. 14—POTTSVILLE — A Mahanoy City man convicted in a shooting was sentenced Wednesday to seven to 15 years in a state correctional facility, followed by a year of probation.
A jury on Oct. 26 found Manuel Andres Santana Del Rosario, 47, of 305 E. Centre St., guilty of two felony counts of aggravated assault; three misdemeanor counts of simple assault; and one misdemeanor count each of reckless endangerment and possessing instruments of crime.
Jurors, however, found Santana Del Rosario not guilty on the most serious charge: attempted first-degree murder.
He was sentenced by Schuylkill County President Judge Jacqueline L. Russell.
The charges stemmed from the Feb. 4 shooting of Edwin Candelario, now 40, of Schuylkill Haven, in Santana Del Rosario's home.
During the sentencing, Russell said there was no "rational reason" for the incident to occur, citing the severity of the injuries suffered by Candelario.
"The sentence I'm about to impose is necessary for the protection of the public," Russell said. "The gravity of the offences, the age of the defendant at the time of the incident — inexplicable that he would act in the manner that he did."
Santana Del Rosario had previously testified the incident resulted from a meeting at which he was to pay back Candelario about $50 that he owed him.
He said he was in fear for his life when, "getting a bad feeling," he shot Candelario two times inside his home on the morning of Feb. 4.
When questioned during his trial about the number of shots he fired, Santana Del Rosario said that, for some reason, he pulled the trigger of his semi-automatic gun only two times, but the weapon fired three shots.
Mahanoy City Police Chief Thomas J. Rentschler filed the charges after the shooting.
During the trial, Rentschler testified that Candelario came to his station bleeding profusely around 9:20 a.m. with three gunshot wounds: in the right side of his chest, in his abdomen and in an arm.
Candelario identified Santana Del Rosario as the man who shot him, Rentschler said.
While Candelario was flown to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Santana Del Rosario was taken into custody and found to be in possession of a Beretta .40-caliber handgun, according to Rentschler.
Before the sentencing, defense attorney Christine A. Holman, of Tamaqua, said Santana Del Rosario had appeared to be a "model citizen" with no criminal record, both in his native Dominican Republic and in Pennsylvania.
First Assistant District Attorney Michael J. Stine, who prosecuted the case, said the "life-threatening nature" of Candelario's injuries could have resulted in a more serious outcome.
"As we know, the victim was shot several times, including as he was trying to escape from the situation," Russell said. "His injuries were rather severe, as Mr. Stine has indicated, and he was very fortunate to be near the police station and to safety."
Before the sentencing, Santana Del Rosario provided a statement, expressing remorse for his actions.
"If I can only go back in time — but I cannot do that," he said through an interpreter. "I got into a bad situation, a pickle, with my family and my wife."
He apologized to Candelario for the injuries he sustained in the incident.
"That day was something that just happened," Santana Del Rosario said, "and I was in fear of my life."
Russell ordered Santana Del Rosario to pay $19 in restitution and $1,025.17 to the Victim Compensation Assistance Program.
On the count of possessing instruments of crime, Russell ordered the defendant to serve one year of state-supervised probation.
Contact the writer: hlee@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6085
