A teenager who shot an Ohio State University wrestler during an attempted carjacking, ending his Olympic dreams, will spend at least a decade in prison.
Elijah Lee, now 18, pleaded guilty in February to felonious assault with a firearm. On Thursday, Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Stephen McIntosh sentenced him to 10 to 14 ½ years in prison.
Lee, then a juvenile, shot Sammy Sasso during an Aug. 18, 2023 carjacking attempt near campus. The bullet shattered one of Sasso’s vertebrae and lodged in his spine, clipping a nerve that runs to his legs. He had to undergo emergency surgery and several other surgeries in the aftermath of his injury.
Before McIntosh sentenced Lee, Sasso described his recovery process for the judge and a handful of supporters of each man who gathered in the courtroom.
Sasso said one of the hardest things he’s had to process since being shot is how it shifted his goals and dreams. A week before the shooting, Sasso was training with Olympic athletes and planning to compete at the 23 and under world championships that fall.
“I went from that to a physical therapy room with 70 and 80 years old recovering from a broken hip. That was a humbling experience,” he said. “A lifetime dedicated to my sport, my craft, dedicated to becoming a NCAA champion. This last chance of mine to accomplish this dream was taken away from me.”
Sasso returned to wrestling this season but retired from the sport in February. He was a four-time All-American and two-time NCAA runner-up during his Ohio State career.
Sasso said he is grateful for the outpouring of love and support he received following the shooting, describing it as a type of love he’d never felt before.
“I’m here today to just put this behind me and move forward with my life,” Sasso said. “I wish the best for Mr. Lee, and truthfully, I hope that everything with him works out.”
Lee apologized to Sasso through a statement read by his attorney, who advocated for Lee to receive a lower sentence given his age. Assistant Franklin County Public Defender Greg Hoover said Sasso had been trying to impress a girl who was also accused of taking part in the carjacking.
“He’s able to recognize the errors in the pattern of his thinking. He’s absolutely remorseful,” Hoover said. “He’s grateful the situation wasn’t worse. This isn’t the life he wants to have for himself.”
Lee’s history in the criminal justice system did not begin with the August 2023 carjacking attempt. The Aug. 18, 2023 carjacking occurred five days after Lee was released from the Ohio Department of Youth Services on parole, Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Emalea Helisek said.
Lee was 16 at the time he shot Sasso and was initially charged as a juvenile. After a series of hearings in Franklin County Juvenile Court, Judge Monica Hawkins ordered Lee to be tried as an adult.
Cecil Brown, who identified himself as Lee’s father, also spoke on Lee’s behalf, saying he was willing to do his son’s prison time for him.
“He’s not a bad person. I know a lot of parents say that about their kids,” Brown said. “Students, athletes, there’s an arrogancy on campus that’s happening as I speak. Elijah never had a gun. The worst Elijah would do is being caught with a stolen car.”
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@gannett.com or on Bluesky at @bethanybruner.dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State wrestler Sammy Sasso, shot in carjacking, speaks at sentencing