Elijah Rashad Dobson, who was arrested in 2019 for a shooting in southern Hillsborough, was sentenced to between 180 and 228 months (15 to 19 years) in prison Thursday, according to assistant district attorney Jeff Nieman.

Dobson, who is originally from Raleigh, reportedly fired into an occupied vehicle on South Churton Street on April 16, 2019, leaving a victim, later identified as Brandon Howard, with multiple gunshot wounds. An infant was also in the vehicle at the time but was unharmed.

After his arrest, Dobson was charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, discharge of a weapon into occupied property inflicting serious injury and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Dobson’s attack left 11 bullet holes in Howard’s car. Reports indicate three or four of the bullets hit Howard, and another missed the infant’s head by approximately a foot. Howard, who has since recovered from his injuries, was subpoenaed for the trial but did not attend. The judge in the case, Alyson Grine, issued a material witness warrant for his arrest. Howard was not able to be found prior to the trial’s conclusion.

“Despite the fact that the victim was clearly not interested or unwilling to participate, we felt it was still important to move forward given the enormous danger [Dobson] put several people, including an infant child, in,” Nieman told Chapelboro. “Thanks to the excellent work by the Hillsborough Police Department, particularly Sergeant Will Felts, and the brave testimony of eyewitnesses, we were able to hold Mr. Dobson accountable. This is one of the most brazen violent crimes that I have seen in my career.”

 

Featured image via Town of Hillsborough

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