Greyhound bus shooter sentenced to more than 74 years to life in prison | News

BUTTE COUNTY, CA. – More than two years after a deadly shooting aboard a Greyhound bus in Oroville, the shooter, Asaadhi Coleman, was sentenced Friday at the Oroville Courthouse.

Coleman was sentenced to 74 years and 8 months in prison. Several survivors of the shooting and their family members shared victim impact statements, and Coleman himself also addressed the courtroom.

“I have two things I would like to say. The first being that if I had been in the right frame of mind, this would never have happened, and since it did, I am deeply sorry. J “I offer my deepest apologies to everyone who has been affected by this tragedy, that's all I have to say,” Coleman said.

The prosecution vehemently denies that Coleman was not in the right state of mind and asked the judge to consider Coleman's behavior before and after the shooting when sentencing. For survivors, like Bobby Farber, the conviction brings a kind of closure.

“It's like a weight off my shoulders. I actually feel pretty good. Better than I thought I would,” Farber said.

It has been 849 days since the shooting. Farber spent each of those moments recovering, physically and emotionally.

“The way I look at it, I have to go on every day with a smile on my face, because as soon as I don't, I get sad or I have this pity party, I start going downhill, so one day both, just smile, be good and be happy,” Farber said.

Coleman's actions dramatically changed Farber's life, and Farber says he still found the strength to move on and even forgive. He credits his faith.

“After I got shot, life got a little difficult. One thing led to another and put me in this ministry surrounded by good people. People who really care about me, you know? And probably, no , this would not have been the case if this sad story had not happened,” Farber said.

Faith and her friends helped him recover.

“I can't sit on this and dwell on it, you know what I mean? It just causes more problems in the future. I could hate it all I want, but what's the point? -he, you know? What happened, happened, and I hope he can find God while he's there and become a better person,” Farber said.

Coleman was sentenced to 74 years and 8 months in prison. Since Coleman was under 26 at the time of the shooting, he is eligible for parole after 25 years. However, the DA's office told Action News Now that while he could potentially apply for parole, that doesn't mean it will ever be granted to him given the nature of the case.

Coleman's sentence includes charges of second-degree murder and attempted murder, each carrying a 25-year prison sentence for the physical harm he caused with a gun, including the murder of Dalton and Farber's palsy.

“You destroyed my life, my family's life. You took my wife, the mother of my children,” said Greg Dalton, husband of Karin Dalton.

The judge considered victim impact statements from Farber, Rose Whitley, and Karin Daalton's family, which included her husband and 11-year-old daughter who was also shot that night.

“I was actually surprised. I didn't recognize her at first. She's growing up,” Farber said.

Even in the panic on board, Farber said he tried to protect Karin's little boy and girl by pushing them off the bus to safety. While everyone on board bonded together throughout the event, Farber said he thought of Dalton's children often and hoped they continued to recover.

“I want to make sure they're okay. My main goal is to stay in touch with them. Other than that, one day at a time,” Farber said.

While Coleman was sentenced to 74 years to life in that case, he also faces an additional 16 months for separate cases in Alameda and Sacramento counties.