KEARNEY, Neb. - A district court judge handing down prison time for a defendant in a 2022 shooting that left one man dead in Kearney.

Romeo Chambers has been sentenced to 7 - 20 years in prison for the count of manslaughter, with additional 4 to 8 year sentences being imposed for assault charges, and these are to be served concurrently. He's being given credit for the 571 days of time served.

Jared Shinpaugh was killed in January of 2022 in what police say was a drug deal gone wrong.

Chambers claimed in court he acted in self-defense during the shooting, saying Shinpaugh and others burst into the Kearney home wearing ski masks and armed with pepper spray and an axe.

Prosecutors, however, argued saying Chambers continually shot even after intruders had fled.

"I think to do anything less than maximum sentences certainly promotes disrespect to the law, and it certainly sends the wrong message to this community," said one of the state's prosecuting attorneys. "This type of behavior cannot be tolerated, this type of lost lifestyle. Our community needs to be able to be protected, and this message needs to be sent to this defendant and other defendants," she added. 

Chambers pleaded guilty in March, but later tried to withdraw his plea before Judge John Marsh denied that motion last month, leading to sentencing.

In a lengthy and emotional statement to the court, Chambers said that he had just been released from parole, was homeless, and was staying with friends when the robbery unfolded, and was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Chambers asked for leniency, equaling parole and time served, emphasizing his work history, family support, and desire to rebuild his life.

"And at the end of the day, a life was lost and people were hurt. It's all been devastating and traumatizing for everyone involved. I hate that any of this ever happened. Someone died, and that's something I can never forget about. I have to live with that for the rest of my life," said Romeo Chambers before the verdict was announced.

Chambers had a prior conviction in 2016 for attempted robbery, and he had been recently released from parole two months before the 2022 shooting.

Judge Marsh said that Chambers' possession of a gun as a felon, the use of deadly force, and the level of violence required a prison sentence.

He will serve no less than seven years and no more than 20 years on the collective charges, with Judge Marsh saying that Chambers will be eligible for parole in about two years.

Chambers was the final one in this case to be sentenced, with two others pleading guilty for lesser charges.