Man gets 30 years for killing soldier outside bar

A 28-year-old man who shot and killed an Afghanistan war veteran outside a bar in Colorado Springs has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Dwight Lovele Gordon Jr. was sentenced Friday for the June 2, 2012, death of 22-year-old Spc. Kendrick James, of Mer Rouge, La. Gordon struck a deal with prosecutors last year and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Gordon, who said he was acting in self-defense, is accused of shooting James during a fight that spilled out of the now-shuttered Golden Cue tavern.

James had joined the Army in 2009 and had deployed once to Afghanistan. He was a member of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, part of Fort Carson’s 4th Infantry Division.