Lacey man receives six months probation after shooting brother

A 28-year-old Lacey man was sentenced to six months on probation after he pleaded guilty to the 2014 shooting of his brother.

Sulayman Saho appeared before Thurston County Superior Court Judge Erik Price on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree assault.

According to court records, Saho had originally been charged with first-degree assault while armed with a deadly weapon following his July 2014 arrest. He served eight days in jail, and was then released on $25,000 bail.

He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge to take advantage of a plea deal offered by the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office. He was sentenced to eight days in jail with credit for time served and six months of community custody, more commonly known as probation.

Saho received a light sentence in part because of Washington’s first-time offender waiver, which allows judges to impose sentences outside of the standard range for people who have been convicted of certain crimes and have no other criminal history.

Attorney Richard Woodrow, who represents Saho, said that had the case gone to trial, a jury would likely have found that his client acted in self defense.

“My client is the one who called the police, he did shoot his brother,” Woodrow said. “But I believe my client would have a strong self-defense argument.”

According to court documents, Lacey police responded to a Lacey home July 14, 2014 and found a man with a gunshot wound to his left leg. Detectives searched the home and found a gun.

Saho allegedly shot his brother after an altercation.

This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Lacey man receives six months probation after shooting brother."