Man, 65, Sentenced to 9 Years for Shooting Another Man Inside McDonald's

Oakland, CA— A 65-year-old man was sentenced today to nine years in state prison for shooting another man inside a McDonald's restaurant in North Oakland two years ago.

Joseph Hannon was convicted in April of assault with a firearm for the incident inside the McDonald's at 4514 Telegraph Ave. at about 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 23, 2014, but was acquitted of the more serious charge of attempted murder. He was also convicted of being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm.

Prosecutor Chris Cavagnaro asked that Hannon receive the maximum sentence of 18 years in state prison but Alameda County Superior Court Judge

Trina Thompson only gave him nine years, citing his age, poor health and lack of a prior criminal record.
Cavagnaro said Hannon was upset about something another man said about his girlfriend inside the McDonald's and got up and walked toward the other man with a loaded revolver in his pocket, so the other man "justifiably prepared to defend himself and hit him in the face."

Hannon then shot the other man in the stomach and the bullet went into the man's liver and shattered but the man was remarkably able to recover from his injuries and hasn't suffered any serious long-term affects, Cavagnaro said.

Hannon's defense attorney Kathleen Guneratne said after the jury's verdict in April that by acquitting Hannon of attempted murder, jurors agreed with her argument that Hannon did not intend to kill the other man.

But Cavagnaro said the jury's conviction of Hannon for assault with a firearm means that they disagreed with the defense's contention that Hannon acted in self-defense.

Cavagnaro said Hannon's girlfriend Brenda Green, who was with Hannon during the incident, pleaded no contest to being an accessory for trying to conceal the gun he used but died of natural causes before she was
sentenced.

By Bay City News

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