East Hartford Man Pleads Guilty to Center Street Shooting

, a 31-year old East Hartford man, pled guilty to the shooting of the owner of Westside Auto Sales earlier this year in a Hartford courtroom Tuesday.

According to the Hartford Courant, Gonzalez, who was also a relative of the man, shot the shop owner on Feb. 15 at the auto shop at 634 Center St. over approximately $3,000 worth of unpaid parking tickets on a used car he had purchased, which made it difficult for Gonzalez to register the vehicle in his name.

Gonzalez pled guilty to first-degree assault Tuesday, according to the Courant, and could face up to 7 1/2 years in prison, and an additional three years of probation upon his release. He will be sentenced Nov. 14.

Gonzalez was one of three men who went to the auto shop on the evening of Feb. 15 to speak to the owner about a vehicle one of the men had purchased from him, according to the Manchester Police Department. The issue of the $3,000 lien on the vehicle led to a dispute, and Gonzalez pulling out a gun and shooting the shop owner in the knee. The three men then fled the scene.

A second man, Angel Soto, of Hartford, was also arrested and charged in the incident.