» Ex-firefighter sentenced:
He pleaded guilty to incident that killed 2 people
Former Milwaukee firefighter Joshua Larson is sentenced to 10 years in prison and four years of extended supervision for a drunken-driving crash that killed two men.
The crash that killed two men after the Brewers home opener last year would have happened even if Joshua Larson, the former firefighter driving the other car, hadn’t been drinking, his attorney said Friday.
The accident “was unavoidable that day,” said Julius Kim. He said after studying the many other factors of the case, he could only conclude, “This was fate.”
But Larson, 32, had been drinking at Miller Park, and in May pleaded guilty to two counts of homicide while driving with a prohibited bloodalcohol concentration. Two counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle were dismissed.
Larson and his passengers in a Ford F-350 Super Duty pickup were speeding south on S. 60th St. after attending the Milwaukee Brewers opening day game on April 4, 2016.
He struck Uber driver Yoruba E. Sly Lundasi, 64, as he pulled out of Johnson Controls, killing him and his passenger, Wendell K. Johnson, 38, of Chicago.
As part of the plea, prosecutor Paul Tiffin agreed to recommend an eight-year prison term. At sentencing Friday, Kim argued six years would be fair.
He cited dash cam video that showed Sly Lundasi pulled out onto S. 60th St. without stopping at a sign, how his view of southbound traffic was obscured by a bridge for the Hank Aaron Trail, and an accident reconstruction that showed that once Larson saw Sly Lundasi’s minivan enter his path, he hit the brakes as quickly as anyone who hadn’t been drinking.
Even the speeding was not a direct result of alcohol impairment, Kim said, but a response to another driver’s road rage a few blocks earlier.
Kim also emphasized Larson’s character and career commitment to helping others as a Milwaukee firefighter, a job he lost after he was charged in the crash.
But Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Joseph Donald also heard several emotional statements from the victims’ families, including Sly Lundasi’s daughter Taverev Sly Lundasi. She told Donald eight years would be “a slap in the face,” and that if Larson were “an average Joe, he would get a lot more.”
Donald sentenced Larson to 10 years in prison and four years of extended supervision on each count, to be served concurrently.
After the crash, Larson pulled Sly Lundasi from the minivan and tried to save his life, but it was too late.
Larson, who police said had an odor of alcohol, slightly slurred speech and glassy eyes, told police he had consumed four cans of Coors Light at the baseball game and estimated he was going about 35 mph on S. 60th St. Data from his truck’s computer showed he actually reached 68 mph before braking to about 50 mph at the moment of collision.
He failed some field sobriety tests. A preliminary breath test showed his blood-alcohol concentration to be 0.164, more than twice the legal limit, and he was arrested by West Allis police. A later blood test showed a bloodalcohol level of 0.172.
Kim said Larson, who had been free on bail, has undergone extensive counseling since the crash. In a brief statement, he offered the victims’ families “the most sincere apology I can muster,” and said he prays daily that they may find solace.
He was immediately taken into custody after his sentencing.