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A convicted killer was captured on video celebrating in his California prison cell after learning that Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón had issued a new directive calling for the possible resentencing of inmates following 15 years of imprisonment.
Phillip Dorsett and his cellmate at New Folsom State Prison are seen toasting Gascón with prison moonshine known as "white lightning."
"Right here with my cellie," Dorsett said while making a toast, according to a video released Tuesday by the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA). "Some white lightning, a little cup, boom! Celebrating us going home on this Gascón directive. Whoop!"
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Dorsett was sentenced to 40 years to life for shooting a rival gang member in the head at close range in 2005. A jury convicted him of second-degree murder and found that he used a gun in the commission of the crime.
The association, in a release, called on Gascón to "abandon his reckless policies that put violent criminals like Dorsett back on the streets."
"Recent footage of convicted murderer Phillip Dorsett celebrating George Gascón is compelling proof that violent criminals, not victims, will be the biggest beneficiaries of his radical policies," said Greg Totten, chief executive officer of the CDAA.
"No one is celebrating George Gascón more than violent criminals," Totten continued.
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The CDAA says that violent criminals could benefit from another directive that eliminates a sentencing enhancement for guns used during felony crimes which could add an additional 10 to 20 years to a prison sentence, according to the Orange County Register.
"When criminals talk among themselves and share information that firearm enhancements are not going to be used, it’s no longer a deterrent," said Vern Pierson, president of the CDAA. "People are increasingly using guns in the commission of violent crime. Gascón’s policies are reckless and dangerous to people of Los Angeles County and the people of California in a broader sense."
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon is sworn in as his wife Fabiola Kramsky holds a copy of the Constitution during a mostly-virtual ceremony in downtown Los Angeles on Dec. 7, 2020. (Bryan Chan/County of Los Angeles via AP) (AP)
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The LAPD in January tweeted that homicides in South L.A. were up 150% compared to last year and that victims shot in the area were up 742%. The department called the crime stats "shocking."
In November, the Los Angeles Times reported that the city was pushed into the 300-death mark for the first time since 2009. L.A. recorded 253 homicides in 2019, and 260 in 2018, the paper reported.
