2 men sentenced in fatal shooting outside ND party

MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — A judge has given two men time behind bars for their roles in a fatal Mandan shooting, saying he wants to make a statement about people resorting to gun violence.

Judge Bruce Haskell on Tuesday sentenced Stephen Voegele to five years in prison for reckless endangerment and terrorizing, and Nicholas Reed to six months in jail for giving false information to law enforcement. The two defendants are in their early-to-mid 20s.

“In addition to a punishment aspect, there needs to be a deterrence here,” Haskell said. “In other words, make it clear that this behavior is not appropriate. Not cooperating with law enforcement right away, no one could possibly think that was the right way to proceed. So I do think there needs to be a message sent here.”

The October 2010 shooting outside a house party was sparked by an argument over the whereabouts of an iPod music player, according to police. Authorities said Xavier Thompson, 22, shot Voegele in the back and Voegele returned fire, hitting Thompson in the head and killing him.

“As Bismarck Mandan is getting bigger we are seeing more tough guys going to get their guns,” Haskell said. “And when things blow up in their face they're not tough guys anymore, and asking for mercy. So I think I need to make a statement because this simply can't be tolerated.”

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