SAN FRANCISCO: Anti-Gay BB Gun Attackers Sentenced To Six Months

The three Bay Area cousins who went on a San Francisco BB-gun shooting spree in February have been sentenced to six months in county jail. The three had targeted men who appeared to be gay.

Mohammad Habibzada, 24, Shafiq Hashemi, 21, and Sayed Bassam, 21, also will be on probation for three years and must complete as much as 400 hours of community service, including 40 hours of hate-crime sensitivity training, according to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. Police said the men went to San Francisco on Feb. 26 armed with an air rifle and video camera, targeting people who they thought were gay, including a man who was standing outside a Mission District bar smoking a cigarette. They shot the man in the cheek and were caught soon after when the victim — while giving a report to police — spotted their car still in the area. The victim was not seriously injured, police said. Investigators found the rifle and camera, which contained footage of 11 additional attacks that appeared to occur in San Francisco. There was not enough evidence to pursue charges in the other attacks, said Brian Buckelew of the District Attorney's Office.

The trio, whose own video of the attacks was used against them, were only convicted of negligent discharge of a firearm, which is a misdemeanor. However the hate crimes enhancement made the attacks a felony worth six months in jail.

(Via - Towleroad)