Sentenced for May Shooting

      Frank A. Hanna, 30, accused by the East Hampton Town police in the accidental shooting of a friend, Freddie Stephens, with a .44 caliber handgun on May 24, pled guilty in Suffolk County Court on Sep. 6 to one felony charge, reckless assault in the first degree.

     He was sentenced on Sept. 10 to a year in prison, with time already served counting towards the sentence. He will be eligible for parole in January, according to his attorney, Susan Menu.

     According to the police, Mr. Hanna had aimed the gun at Mr. Stephens and pulled the trigger, not realizing that the weapon was loaded. The bullet did severe damage to Mr. Stephens’s left arm. Mr. Stephens, who is now living out of the state, is still recovering from the wound, said his attorney, Stephen Grossman.

     A .44 caliber bullet is one of the largest made and causes potentially lethal injuries. The weapon used was not recovered.