OGDEN — A man who critically injured another man in a downtown Ogden shooting has been sentenced to three years to life in the Utah State Prison.

Cedric Broadnax, 38, who earlier pleaded guilty but mentally ill to first-degree felony attempted murder, was sentenced Thursday in 2nd District Court by Judge Noel Hyde.

Charging documents said that Broadnax accosted a woman on 25th Street and her boyfriend confronted him in the Sept. 13, 2020, incident. The couple walked to a parking lot and Broadnax followed, firing five shots into a parked car containing the couple and two other people.

In a plea bargain, Broadnax pleaded guilty to the attempted murder charge in return for dismissal of five second-degree felony counts of illegal discharge of a firearm and a third-degree felony count of use of a firearm by a restricted person.

The man who was shot submitted a letter to the court in advance of Broadnax’s sentencing, detailing the impact on his life and his family’s. He said he was shot twice in the face and once in his right forearm.

“Two .40-caliber bullets were removed from my brain,” he said. That resulted in some brain tissue being removed. He said he has suffered vision and hearing loss and has been relearning how to communicate and use motor skills.

“I have two metal plates and titanium mesh that holds my skull together,” he said.

Beyond lifelong problems he faces because of the shooting, the man’s family is suffering as well. “My children are terrified,” he said. “They think they are going to be shot in the nighttime.”

Under Utah law allowing pleas of guilty but mentally ill, a sentencing judge may order that a defendant receive mental health treatment at the Utah State Hospital before serving a prison sentence.

Prior to the plea and sentencing, Broadnax’s mental health was evaluated by Utah State Hospital therapists.

Hyde gave Broadnax credit for time served in the Weber County Jail since his arrest and ordered that he complete mental health treatment at the prison. He also ordered Broadnax to have no contact with the shooting victim, who also is an inmate at the prison.

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