SPOKANE, Wash. — The man who pleaded guilty to targeting a woman in a drive-by shooting last year will spend the next five years in prison, a Spokane County Superior Court Judge ruled Thursday.
39-year-old Jimmy Blackburn pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm on Thursday. The charges stem from a drive-by shooting that happened in the Perry district last December.
As a result of his plea, Blackburn will spend the next five years in jail.
According to court documents, police responded to a report of a drive-by shooting near East 7th Avenue on the night of Dec. 10, 2022. Officers interviewed the victim, who had a visible "graze wound from a bullet" on her right leg.
The victim told police she was standing near East 7th Avenue waiting for her friend to pick her up when she saw a silver car pull up. She approached the car thinking it was her friend, but saw a man in the driver's seat and a woman in the passenger seat.
The victim said she heard the woman in the car say something like, "Do you want to do it or should I?" The victim said she began running toward an apartment complex after hearing this, and then heard five to seven gunshots. Once she was in her apartment, she said her right leg began to burn, so she looked down and saw what looked like a bullet wound.
After interviewing the victim, officers began looking for the suspect vehicle. One officer spotted a grey Chevrolet Malibu on 2nd Avenue and Sherman Street and began following it to the area of 1st Avenue and Pine Street. The officer said the car pulled over, at which point the officer turned on his emergency lights.
The driver, later identified as Blackburn, and the female passenger, later identified as Brandelyn Labrum, were both arrested without incident.
Blackburn was originally charged with first-degree assault, second degree unlawful possession of a firearm, drive-by shooting and possession of a stolen firearm. However, the charges were ultimately lowered after prosecutors were unable to prove the victim suffered great bodily harm.
Blackburn was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday. Labrum, who is charged with drive-by shooting, is set to appear in court in April.
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