WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Fort Pierce man on Friday was sentenced to 30 years in prison in the fatal shooting of a bystander, a 16-year-old West Palm Beach girl, more than one year ago.
On March 29, Larry Darnell Young Jr., 27, was convicted of manslaughter with a firearm and three counts of attempted manslaughter but found not guilty of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm. Prosecutors dropped a first-degree murder charge on Jan. 5, 2022.
One month later, Circuit Judge Howard K. Coates sentenced him to 30 years for the manslaughter charge and five years each for the attempted manslaughter to run concurrently with the manslaughter sentence.
On Dec. 15, 2021, Young was arrested by U.S. marshals on unrelated charges in St. Lucie County. On Dec. 21, he was arrested in the shooting death.
Young was accused of firing a gun during a Dec. 10 altercation in the 500 block of 17th Street, killing the teen bystander.
The victim's name is being withheld because of Marsy's Law to protect victims' identities.
During his first appearance, Palm Beach County Judge Charles Burton said in court that the girl "had the misfortune of sitting in a vehicle with her parents when you decided to allegedly have a shootout in downtown West Palm Beach."
As Burton was finishing explaining why he ordered Young to be held without bond, Young called the judge a "b---h-ass cracker" as he walked away.
Burton then called Young back into the courtroom to say that he was sentencing him to five months and 29 days in jail for criminal contempt of court.
Police said Young's girlfriend, Keosha Marquivia Carn, 31 at the time, asked him to "shoot it up" after an argument between her and other women near 17th Street and Spruce Avenue.
Young quickly went to the scene, police said.
One bullet struck the girl, who was visiting a friend, and she died after she was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center in a private vehicle, police said.
