LINCOLN, Neb. -- A drug-related conviction puts a Lincoln man in prison for 2 1/2 years.

U.S. Attorney Steven Russell said 19-year-old Xavier Gary, of Lincoln, was sentenced on June 29 for attempted possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute. He will serve 30 months in prison with a two-year term of supervised release after. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, Lincoln police responded to reports of a shooting near the Edgewood Theaters and Target on the south side of Lincoln on Aug. 2, 2021. Jayden Prentice, Christopher Duncan, and Riley Mills were there when police arrived. Duncan and Prentice had suffered gunshot wounds. First responders resuscitated Duncan using CPR and they were taken to the hospital.

Authorities said Duncan and Prentice each were in the hospital for a month being treated for their injuries, and Duncan had to have one of his legs amputated. The investigation would later reveal that a group of people, including Gary and Buongkhoy Wal, set up the buying of a half-pound of marijuana from Prentice, Duncan, and Mills. The planned purchase was a ploy for a robbery. Gary’s car was used in the offense and Gary drove to and from the scene. Gary was not one of the people who shot a firearm.

Officials said Buongkhoy Wal pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm during a drug trafficking offense on March 21, 2023, and has a sentencing on July 31, 2023. He faces a prison sentence of at least 10 years.

According to court documents, Prentice, Duncan, and Mills each pleaded guilty to charges involving the possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. On June 24, 2022, Mills was sentenced to 92 months in prison with a three-year term of supervised release after. Prentice was sentenced on July 6, 2022, to 72 months in prison with a three-year term of supervised release after. Duncan has a sentencing on July 17, 2023.

The investigation was conducted by the Lincoln Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.