A Central Florida felon shot his victim in the leg with an AK-47-style rifle after the two had previously been hanging out at the defendant’s house.
This month, jurors rendered a guilty verdict in the courtroom of the Honorable Judge Mark Yerman during the trial of 40-year-old Shane Coleman Dana. Dana was found guilty as charged for the offenses of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
After jurors delivered their verdict to the court, Judge Yerman sentenced Dana to 25 years in the Florida Department of Corrections as a minimum mandatory, pursuant to Florida’s 10/20/Life enhancement.
“If you think you can possess a gun as a felon, and then go and shoot someone, you’re in for a rude awakening,” said Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson. “Our law enforcement partners will arrest you and we will make sure you face the harshest consequences possible. Twenty-five years sounds like the perfect time for reflection.”
On June 21, 2019, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office dispatch received a 9-1-1 call from an individual who stated they had been shot in the leg. Responding deputies learned from the victim, who identified Dana as the shooter, that they had previously been hanging out with the defendant at the defendant’s house.
The victim stated they left briefly to go to the store and when they returned, they knocked on the door of the residence. Dana didn’t initially respond to the first knock, so the victim knocked again and waited. Shortly after, Dana exited the home with an AK-47-style rifle and shot the victim in the leg.
The victim fled to a nearby neighbor’s house and contacted authorities. During their statement, the victim indicated that the attack was unprovoked and should have been captured on Dana’s home surveillance system.
Officials were able to speak with a witness on scene who described Dana as being paranoid and easily triggered into a state of anger. Authorities approached the residence and utilized a PA system to speak with Dana, who refused to come out of the home. A friend of Dana’s was able to make contact with him via phone, where he eventually exited the residence and surrendered to law enforcement without further incident.
Deputies recovered a DVR surveillance system from the home, that confirmed the victim’s statement of the incident and depicted the defendant shooting the victim. Dana was arrested and transported to the Lake County Jail.
This case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Steven Miller.
