VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Author's note: The video above is from a separate story that first aired in February 2022, which covered Virginia lawmakers seeking money to combat gun violence.
On Monday, a man convicted of robbery and trying to kill a police officer was sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Jasper Wynn, 23, pleaded guilty to two counts of Attempted Capital Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, two counts of Robbery, three counts of Use of a Firearm, Conspiracy, Abduction, and Wearing a Mask in Public related to a crime back in 2018.
A spokesperson for the Commonwealth's Attorney said on Oct. 11, 2018, Wynn and co-defendant Jahkil McPhail had planned to rob the 7-Eleven on South Independence Boulevard in Virginia Beach. They approached two different employees with their guns and then stole money and cigarettes.
The Virginia Beach Police Department had been investigating several robberies that had happened in the area previously. Two officers were surveilling the store when this robbery started.
The officers then confronted the two men, who began to run away on foot. The account says Wynn proceeded to shoot at the officers as he ran, and they fired back. As a result, he was struck in the right forearm by a bullet and one of the officers was grazed by a bullet on his leg.
The officers were able to detain McPhail later when they found him hiding behind a shed in a nearby backyard. He pleaded guilty to some charges against him, and was sentenced to serve 40 years in prison back in January.
Wynn was detained behind a nearby business.
Circuit Court Judge James Lewis initially sentenced Wynn to 250 years in prison -- but, he suspended most of them, leaving 60 to serve. Typically, judges pardon suspended sentences if offenders meet certain pre-determined standards.