Man sentenced to 20 years in St. Cloud shooting rampage

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A man who police said used two AK-47 rifles to wound St. Cloud police officers was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday afternoon.

David Penney was arrested after police said he went on a shooting rampage in which he fired more than 100 rounds and wounded the two officers in the November 2011 shootings.

Police believe that Penney, then 18, was trying to kill someone in a home on Alabama Avenue, and when police arrived, he turned the guns on them. After shooting at police Penney shot himself in the chin.

In February prosecutors announced the State Attorney's Office dropped the attempted murder charges against Penney and instead recommended that he be sentenced to eight years in prison and 10 years of probation.

On Friday St. Cloud Chief of Police Pete Gauntlett asked the judge to give Penney a lengthy sentence.

"In my 32 years, this assault was by far the worst I have ever witnessed," said Gauntlett.

Penney could have faced 55 years in prison. His attorneys said that he has mental issues and would not be able to handle prison.

Following the sentencing, Gauntlett said police were glad to see that Penney would be off the streets for many years.

"I want to thank the judge for his decision. It was a fair and just one. Personally, from a police perspective, I would like to have seen more in the way of a sentence, but I understand the predicament the judge was in," said Gauntlett.

WFTV