A Bristol Borough man will serve up to three decades behind bars for shooting another man in the face during a botched robbery.

Jonathan Black, 22, was sentenced Thursday to 15 to 30 years in state prison for the attempted murder of the man struck by a round Black fired at a vehicle containing the four fleeing targets of the June 2018 incident.

“This was not just a robbery, but an act of overt aggression,” said Deputy District Attorney Thomas C. Gannon.

For the attempted murder of each of the vehicle’s three other occupants – a juvenile and two adults – Black received concurrent 10-to-20-year sentences.

Black and his co-defendant Jordan Jones conspired at first to rip off one of the victims in an illegal gun sale, but decided to rob the victims after finding them in possession of marijuana. As the car drove off during the robbery, Black chased after the vehicle, saying he wanted to kill everyone inside it as he fired in the car’s direction.

Jurors convicted Black for the attempted killings, as well as robbery, aggravated assault and related offenses after a three-day trial in September.

Judge Rea B. Boylan said Thursday that the progression of Black’s conduct during the incident showed his “entrenched criminal thinking.”

“It’s only by chance this was not a third-degree murder case,” the judge said.

In court for sentencing, Black maintained his innocence and declined to give a statement.

“I don’t really like talking,” he said. “I feel like talking will get me in trouble.”

Black’s co-defendant Jones, 19, pleaded guilty to his role in the incident and was sentenced to four to 10 years in state prison.

The case was investigated by Bristol Borough Police Department and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Thomas C. Gannon.

Contact: James O’Malley, 215.348.6298, jtomalley@buckscounty.org