Man pleads guilty to manslaughter for shooting death during a Roxbury fistfight

Andrew Britt, 20, was sentenced to 15 to 18 years in prison today after pleading guilty to manslaughter for the death of Shawnray Taylor in a Copeland Street apartment on Dec. 11, 2012, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Had the case proceeded to trial on the indicted charge of second-degree murder, prosecutors would have introduced evidence and testimony to prove that Taylor, Britt, and others were at a Copeland Street apartment on Dec. 11, 2012, when Taylor became involved in a dispute with a woman who attempted to prevent Taylor from striking another woman. Britt soon inserted himself into the dispute and the two men took part in a physical fight.

According to prosecutors, Britt pulled out a revolver and shot Taylor, who was unarmed, once in the chest.

At the time of the shooting, Britt was out on bail for a stabbing. He got three years in that case.

Taylor's father told the court:

I hope and pray that my family can find some sense of peace and forgiveness in their hearts, because if they carry this type of hate and animosity for the rest of their lives, it will destroy them.I know that if a gun hadn’t been in the mix, things wouldn’t have ended up this way. High emotions and guns don’t mix. ...

All these young people have guns, and I detest the fact that this country lets this go on and on and on.