Greensburg man convicted of BB gun shooting in Jeannette

A Greensburg man was found guilty Tuesday of two counts of simple assault in connection with a BB gun battle among teens in Jeannette nearly four years ago that ended when a 13-year boy was shot in the eye.

After an hour of deliberations a Westmoreland County jury convicted Darnell Dennison of two lesser charges and found him not guilty of two more serious felony counts of aggravated assault and one charge of reckless endangerment.

Dennison, who will turn 20 in June, was just 16 when he was charged for his role in the June 9, 2017, shooting on Sixth Street in Jeannette. He was prosecuted as an adult.

Assistant District Attorney Allen Powanda said Dennison could be ordered to serve up to four years in prison when he is sentenced by in three months by Westmoreland County Judge Tim Krieger. Dennison had faced a 10-year-prison sentence if convicted of the more serious offenses, Powanda said.

Dennison will remain free on a $15,000 unsecured bond while he awaits sentencing.

The one-day trial featured testimony from just two witnesses, Dennison and his now 16-year-old victim, who claimed he was targeted by a laser sight attached to the BB gun.

Use of the laser sight was evidence of intent to cause serious bodily injury, according to the prosecutor.

“He (Dennison) knows where he was shooting,” Powanda told jurors during his closing argument.

Powanda said Dennison was a passenger in a car that drove up to a group of teens, pointed a gun out the window and fired. The victim was hit in face with BBs that caused injuries requiring the surgical removal of his eye.

The defense contended the shooting was an accident and was the result of a game played among teens who used BB guns to shoot at one another. The prosecution said the victim was not a participant in the gun battle game.

Defense attorney Brian Aston argued that Dennison had no intent to injure anyone and described the events that led to the victim’s injury as tragic.

“What happened is a crying shame, it doesn’t mean it’s criminal,” Aston said.

He argued that the proper venue for the case should be in civil court.