SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Oct. 27, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A 26-year-old man has been sentenced to one to 15 years in prison for intentionally hitting a man with his car following an altercation outside a Salt Lake City grocery store, causing life-changing injuries to the survivor.
Larry Will Blackshire was convicted of second-degree felony attempted murder and sentenced Friday to the Utah State Correctional Facility, the Salt Lake County District Attorney‘s Office stated in a news release.
Police said the victim in the February 2021 incident had broken the back window of Blackshire’s car at Smith’s, 922 E. 2100 South, which led to a foot chase, according to the DA’s office.
After the victim outran the Blackshire and two of his friends, Blackshire got into his car to search for the man, prosecutors said.
“When Mr. Blackshire saw him walking in a crosswalk, he intentionally hit him with his car going 40 miles per hour. The impact caused the pedestrian to go airborne and land several yards away,” according to a news release from the DA’s office.
“Mr. Blackshire showed extreme cruelty when he made the decision to intentionally hit the survivor,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. “The accident reconstruction expert at the scene said it was rare for someone to survive being hit by a car driving that fast.”
The survivor’s family spoke at the sentencing and noted that his life has been changed forever. The man spent two months in bed, underwent four surgeries and worked with 120 specialists, doctors and nurses before being able to be moved to a wheelchair.
He was confined to a wheelchair for six months and had to learn how to walk again, the family said.
Blackshire pleaded guilty to attempted murder, a second-degree felony, on Sept. 1. His sentence is set to run consecutively to one he’s currently serving for third-degree felony driving under the influence of drugs.
