COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 38-year-old man charged in the shooting death of a 13-year-old boy who witnesses say shot at him first was sentenced on Monday.
Krieg Butler was sentenced to six months in jail and three years of community control. The judge said if Butler violated the sentencing, he would then be sentenced to 18 months in prison for improper handling of a firearm and 36 months for tampering with evidence.
Butler was charged in the October 2022 shooting that happened in the Wedgewood Village Apartments in the Hilltop neighborhood.
He was originally charged with murder for the fatal shooting of Sinzae Reed, but prosecutors revealed that several witnesses came forward and said Reed shot at Butler first while he was inside a truck. Butler then got out of his truck and fatally shot Reed.
Columbus police said during the homicide review, that Butler alleged that he acted in self-defense.
Once the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office learned of the allegation, the charges against Butler were dropped, pending the completion of the investigation.
Police did not find a gun on Reed but, according to the prosecutor, witnesses said they saw someone move a gun away from Reed before officers arrived.
A Franklin County grand injury did indict Butler on one count of improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle and one count of tampering with evidence, both of which are felonies. The jury decided not to charge him with murder.
Butler took a plea agreement in November and pleaded guilty to improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle and tampering with evidence.