A Morrisville man was sentenced to more than 15 years in state prison for a 2025 shooting outside an apartment complex that left a man seriously injured.
Bucks County Common Pleas Judge Wallace Bateman Jr. ordered Kevin Donte Watts, 42, to serve 17½ to 40 years in prison at a hearing Aug. 13 at the Bucks County Justice Center in Doylestown.
Bateman also ordered Watts to serve 10 years of probation and to pay restitution to the victim.
A Bucks County jury found Watts guilty of two counts of aggravated assault, simple assault, firearms violations and related charges earlier this year following a three-day trial.
Watts fled the scene after shooting a man in the chest following an argument outside the Orchard View Apartments complex in the 400 block
of Plaza Boulevard on Oct. 11, 2025.
The shooting victim, who was taken to a local hospital, refused to cooperate with law enforcement and wouldn't reveal who'd shot him, according to a probable cause affidavit.
But a witness told investigators that before the shooting Watts and the victim were inside a car and argued about statements that Watts believed the man made about him, according to the affidavit.
After the victim punched Watts, the men stepped out of the car and Watts shot the man with what turned out to be a stolen .40-caliber gun, police said.
Watts then ordered the driver to take him home, threatening to shoot her. After dropping off Watts, the driver returned to the shooting scene and spoke with police.
The U.S. Marshals Service took Watts into custody a week after the shooting after locating him at an Econo Lodge in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, where he had fled to after the shooting.
Crime and courts reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Morrisville man sentenced for shooting that badly hurt man | Exclusive
