Syracuse, NY – A Syracuse man whom police found with a gun after he was pulled over on his bicycle was sentenced this morning to a five-year prison term. Anthony Candelavia, 19, of 2 Centennial Drive, also will be supervised for five years following his release from prison under the sentence handed down by Onondaga County Judge William Walsh. He...
Syracuse, NY – A Syracuse man whom police found with a gun after he was pulled over on his bicycle was sentenced this morning to a five-year prison term.
Anthony Candelavia, 19, of 2 Centennial Drive, also will be supervised for five years following his release from prison under the sentence handed down by Onondaga County Judge William Walsh. He will be eligible for release after serving six-sevenths of the term.
Candelavia was charged July 19 after police saw him riding his bicycle against traffic on Dudley Street shortly after midnight with no light on his bike. Police said they found a semi-automatic pistol under Candelavia’s shirt when they stopped him and patted him down.
Candelavia pleaded guilty on Aug. 30 to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Attorney Linda Gehron, citing the loss of Candelavia’s mother and grandmother and other disadvantages he has faced, asked Walsh to sentence her client to a 3 ½-year prison term.
Through a Spanish-language interpreter, Candelavia told Walsh he was not a bad person but had made a wrong choice.
Walsh in turn told Candelavia about seeing a photograph Tuesday in The Post-Standard of a young man on a bicycle in front of a South Side grocery store. The image, provided by police from a security camera at the Middle East Market, showed the man they believe shot Tavorn Hunter to death on Sunday in the street in front of the store.
“You couldn’t see a gun in his pocket,” Walsh said. “Minutes later, another young man was dead.”
“I can’t take guns off the street, but I can take the shooters off the street,” Walsh said.