OGDEN — A judge on Friday handed a string of prison sentences to an Ogden man who had pleaded guilty to strangling a woman, mugging another and shooting at two men, hitting and critically injuring one of them.

Second District Judge Cristina Ortega imposed sentences against Colton Shepard, 22, on a dozen charges spread over four cases. Most sentences will run concurrently. Bottom line, Shepard will serve one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison for the critical injury shooting, consecutive to up to five years for violating his probation in a 2018 theft and firearms possession case.

The Weber County Sheriff’s Office arrested Shepard on Feb. 10, 2021. According to a prosecutors’ summary of events filed in court, the trouble began when a woman met Shepard at an Ogden park to break off their relationship. While they were sitting in her vehicle, Shepard became angry and punched and strangled her. She escaped but he chased her, strangling her a second time with a lanyard she was wearing. Bystanders restrained Shepard and the woman left in her vehicle.

Shepard next stole his mother’s car, assaulting her in the process, according to charging documents.

The woman drove home to Plain City and saw Shepard’s mother’s car parked outside. She went inside and Shepard was in the kitchen with a gun in his waistband, having entered the home through a dog door.

The woman pleaded with Shepard to give her the gun because he was threatening to kill himself. At that point, a man came in through the garage and jumped Shepard from behind, trying to get the gun. Shepard then shot the man in the abdomen and arm.

A friend of the shooting victim came in and also tried to get the gun away from Shepard, who threatened to kill him and fired. But the friend was able to bat Shepard’s arm aside to divert the gun blast.

Prosecutors originally charged Shepard with two counts of first-degree felony attempted aggravated murder for the shootings, but the charges were reduced in a plea bargain to second-degree felony aggravated assault and a third-degree variant of that offense. He also was sentenced with third-degree aggravated assault for the strangling and second-degree felony use of a firearm by a restricted person.

Shepard initially was charged with first-degree felony aggravated theft in the attack on his mother, but the plea bargain cut the charge to third-degree felony theft.

In a case related to the shootings, Shepard received sentences for tampering with a witness and violating a jail order not to communicate with that witness.

Ortega also sentenced Shepard to up to five years on his 2018 conviction in the theft and firearm case. This sentence resulted from the probation violation that occurred when he committed the 2021 crimes.

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