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Now another shooting in Fargo. Malik Gill shot a woman he was in a relationship with. The woman was in a restaurant and was holding her 8-month-old child! She was critically injured and the baby was also wounded, but not as critically.
The Forum story describes the shooter's background, which included many recent assault and domestic violence charges and convictions. A recent conviction of serious assault with a handgun was a felony. The judge handed down a 5-year prison sentence but suspended the sentence, thus allowing Gill to go free.
Is it not about time that our press starts to point out these judges being so soft on crime that they are encouraging it? Elsewhere in The Forum is a story about someone who was driving drunk, got into an accident and killed her passenger. Four months was the sentence for this murder!
Sentences are to serve two purposes. One is to penalize the criminal and the other is to send a message to others that it will cost you to commit a crime. The messages sent by more and more of these soft judges is that you will get away with crime and there will no or very little consequences.
I would hope that the press is not so lazy that they ignore this trend by judges to allow serious criminals to go free, but I am not sure.
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Let's start pointing out these judges and show the aftermath. It could be your family next!!
Will Seedley lives in Moorhead.
This letter does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Forum's editorial board nor Forum ownership.
