CANANDAIGUA – A man who was accused of shooting a gun into a crowd and seriously injuring one person outside a bar in downtown Canandaigua has been sentenced.
Leon McDaniel of Rochester was sentenced Oct. 2 to 17 years in prison and five years post-release supervision following his conviction of first-degree assault, according to the Ontario County District Attorney’s Office.
Police said McDaniel was involved in a fight at a Canandaigua bar shortly before midnight Dec. 28, 2024, and then fired a weapon several times in a crowd gathered on Phoenix Street after he was removed from the bar by security.
A 38-year-old bystander who police say was not involved in the fight was struck, police said at the time. The woman was discharged from Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester after surgery.
McDaniel, who police said fled the scene before officers arrived, was found and arrested two days later in Brighton.
The case was prosecuted by Ontario County First Assistant District Attorney Kelly Wolford and investigated by Canandaigua Police Detective Anthony Catalfamo, with the assistance of state troopers and Rochester police officers.
Although McDaniel admitted firing multiple rounds from a handgun into a group of people, nothing can restore what he took that night, Wolford said in a statement.
“The shot that ripped through the victim’s arm left her forever changed,” Wolford stated. “She lost her independence because of the depraved actions of McDaniel.”
McDaniel’s long prison sentence should send a clear message to the community that violence will not be tolerated, Wolford stated.
Mike Murphy covers Canandaigua and other communities in Ontario County and writes the Eat, Drink and Be Murphy food and drink column. Follow him on X at @MPN_MikeMurphy.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester man gets 17 years for firing into crowd outside Canandaigua bar
Reporting by Mike Murphy, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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