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Guilty Plea Entered In 2019 Shooting Case

MAYVILLE — A Jamestown man pleaded guilty in Chautauqua County Court on Tuesday for his role in a January 2019 shooting that left one person injured.

Rasul N. Bonds, 32, entered the plea to second-degree attempted assault, a class E felony, before Chautauqua County Court Judge David Foley. Jury selection was scheduled to begin this week for Bonds, who was previously indicted on three counts of attempted murder and one count of first-degree assault.

The shooting took place Jan 30, 2019, around 2:40 a.m. at the corner of North Main and West Ninth streets in Jamestown. Police said a male was shot in the face as he and two other people were walking toward the intersection. The man was taken to UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pa., for treatment of serious injuries.

The motive, Jamestown police said, was due to “an ongoing dispute.”

“We have worked for multiple days on this investigation with all of our staff being involved,” Capt. Robert Samuelson of the Jamestown Police said at the time. “This was an extremely dangerous situation that could have resulted in three deaths. We therefore take these types of cases very seriously.”

Bonds, who had been jailed awaiting trial, was released after entering the guilty plea Tuesday. He will be sentenced to time served when he returns before Judge Foley in May.

Chautauqua County Public Defender Ned Barone, who has been representing Bonds, said he was pleased with the case’s outcome. “It worked out real well for Mr. Bonds,” Barone said. “He is happy with the plea resolution. For some clients, it’s the resolution of the matter so they can move on with things.”

Patrick Swanson, Chautauqua County district attorney, said he too was happy with the guilty plea.

Another person involved in the shooting, Corey Johnson, has already been sentenced to five years in state prison.

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