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Woman gets prison for firing shot at best friend
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Victoria Armstrong lamented about the friendship with a woman she fired a shot at last year during an argument.
“We were best friends,” Armstrong told Judge Anthony Donofrio in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on Friday just before she was sentenced to four years in prison on a charge of felonious assault with an amended gun specification.
Armstrong, 19, pleaded guilty in December to a charge of felonious assault in the Aug. 21 incident at a Tyrell Avenue apartment on the West Side.
Reports said Armstrong was arguing with another woman when she went to her boyfriend’s car, got a gun, fired a shot in the air and then fired a shot at the victim, but missed.
The victim told Judge Donofrio that part of what makes the crime hurt so much is she used to be good friends with Armstrong.
“Mentally, it just disturbs me, because I never would’ve thought someone I knew for a long time was capable of this,” the victim said.
Armstrong apologized and said she and the victim used to be close, which is one of the reasons why she regrets her actions.
“I am sorry for my actions, “ Armstrong said. “If I could go back to that day, I would do it differently.”
Armstrong must serve at least one year of her sentence before she is eligible to apply for early release from prison. As part of her plea agreement, prosecutors said they would not oppose a motion for early release as long as Armstrong stays out of trouble while she is in prison.