DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A Bed-Stuy man who shot and killed a man inside a crowded Bushwick nail salon in 2014 following an argument, was sentenced to 18 years to life in state prison by a judge Wednesday, prosecutors said.
Kenneth Bryant, 29, was convicted of second-degree murder and weapons possession in January for the 2014 attack, where he fired four shots at 28-year-old Demetrius Mayo inside a busy salon midday near the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Broadway on Oct. 23, 2014, according to prosecutors.
“What should have ended with an argument took a tragic turn," said acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. "The defendant now has to face the consequences of his decision that ultimately cost a man his life.”
Following Bryant's conviction in January, his attorney Lawrence Fredella told DNAinfo New York that his client acted in self-defense and he planned to appeal the conviction.
Fredella said that Mayo went to the salon with his crew to threaten a friend of Bryant's who was on crutches following an earlier fight with Mayo. Mayo threatened Bryant and then hit his friend with one of his crutches, according to Fredella.
Bryant grabbed his friend's gun and shot Mayo trying to protect his friend and himself, Fredella said.
Fredella couldn't be reached immediately for further comment after the sentencing.
After Bryant shot Mayo to death, he and his friend fled the scene, but in their haste, Bryant left his backpack and ID behind, prosecutors said.
Eyewitnesses who were getting their nails done at the time of the shooting later identified Bryant as the gunman, prosecutors said.
Bryant evaded arrest for six months, and was eventually tracked down in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on April 15, 2015, where he was arrested and soon admitted to the shooting, according to prosecutors.
