Superior Court Judge Siobhan Teare sentenced Rasoo Scott to 10 years in state prison for the Sept. 1, 2012 fatal shooting of 16-year-old Daniel Ebron-Berbick in Newark
NEWARK -- What began as a fistfight ended with the flash of a gun.
In the early morning hours of Sept. 1, 2012, Rasoo Scott and Daniel Ebron-Berbick were fighting on Fairmount Avenue in Newark when Scott pulled out a gun and shot and killed the 16-year-old Ebron-Berbick.
More than three years later, Superior Court Judge Siobhan Teare on Friday sentenced Scott, 26, of Newark, to 10 years in state prison for the fatal shooting.
In handing down the sentence, the judge noted how Scott has "a clean record" with no prior arrests, but she added that "this is the problem with guns in our society."
"You bring a gun to a fight and this is what happens," the judge added.
Scott pleaded guilty on Jan. 20 to an aggravated manslaughter charge in connection with shooting Ebron-Berbick, who lived in Newark, during an altercation at about 3 a.m. in the 200 block of Fairmount Avenue. Scott shot Ebron-Berbick in the abdomen.
Under a plea agreement, prosecutors recommended a 10-year state prison sentence for Scott. He must serve eight and a half years before becoming eligible for parole, and he will receive credit for nearly three and a half years of time served.
In a news release, Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Nicole Buermann, who handled the case, said Scott's "senseless use of a gun in this case elevated a street fight into a fatal confrontation."
"The plea agreement took into account the underlying facts of the case as well as the fact that the defendant had no prior contact with the criminal justice system as a juvenile or an adult," Buermann said.
During Friday's hearing, Teare said she would recommend that Scott be sent to a youth facility and she hoped he could help others going forward and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
"I hope that you will take advantage of whatever you can while there, so perhaps you can become a social worker and help other people to understand this is what can happen in your life," Teare said, adding that Scott "can save other people from standing in your shoes or standing in the shoes of the victim."
Before he was sentenced on Friday, Scott apologized and said he didn't mean to hurt anyone.
"I'd like to apologize to the family. I ain't mean for nobody to get hurt," Scott said. "I hope they could forgive me."
Soon after, Ebron-Berbick's stepmother, Yolanda Richardson, stepped to the front of the courtroom and said she could not forgive Scott yet.
"That was my child," said Richardson, who raised Ebron-Berbick since he was 3 years old.
Richardson said Ebron-Berbick's sisters looked up to him. "They called on their big brother for everything, anything and everything, and now their big brother's not there anymore," she said.
Addressing Scott directly, Richardson added: "I really would like to forgive you. I really would, but right now in my heart I can't find it."
Since Richardson said she knew Scott did not intend to kill Ebron-Berbick, Richardson said, "I really hope I can find it to forgive you."
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.