A former NFL player was sentenced Thursday to 16 years in state prison following a 2019 shooting in Colorado. According to USA Today, Justin Bannan, 42, was found guilty in September of attempted murder and first-degree assault among other charges stemming from a shooting at Black Lap Sports in Boulder, Colorado in October 2019. Bannan, who played in the NFL for 12 years, told the police he was hiding from the Russian mafia when he hid in an acupuncturist’s treatment room and shot her when she opened the door.ย
Bannan was supposed to have his sentence hearing on Nov. 5 but was delayed due to COVID-19 issues. Bannan tested posted for COVID-19 while in jail. “According to the jail nurse, Mr. Bannan will be considered infectious and will be quarantined for at least 10 days,” his lawyers wrote in a motion. Prosecutors argued that Bannan was voluntarily intoxicated at the time of the shooting. At the time of his arrest, Bannan was carrying a rolled-up $20 bill that had traces of cocaine.ย
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Ashley Marie, the victim of the shooting, told USA Today last year that she saw Bannan in the corner of her treatment room with a gun when she arrived at work. She was shot by Bannan as soon as she opened the door. The bullet pierced Marie’s shoulder which led to a fracture in her humerus bone.ย
Bannan, who played defensive tackle for five different teams, was selected but the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the NFL Draft in 2002 from Colorado. He was there for four seasons before moving on to the Baltimore Ravens in 2006. Bannan spent four seasons in Baltimore before spending the 2010 season with the Denver Broncos. He played for the St. Louis Rams in 2011, the Broncos again in 2012 and the Detroit Lions in 2013 before retiring. Bannan played in 163 career NFL games and recorded 313 tackles. 27 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks with one interception.ย
“Words can’t begin to describe how sorry I am to (redacted) for all the pain and trauma that I caused her on that day, Oct. 16, 2019,” Bannan said during his sentencing, per The Denver Channel. ย “I’m so sorry. I feel absolutely horrible about what happened. … I love this place and I love this town. It means everything to me. I love this state. And I hope someday you guys can give me a second chance. I just want you to know I’m going to do everything I can to make things right, no matter what that looks like.”ย
