Atwater man pleads no contest in shooting attack

An Atwater man pleaded no contest Thursday to shooting a man in October during an argument, the Merced County District Attorney’s Office said.

Versall J. Henderson, 35, pleaded to a single felony count of assault with a firearm, causing great bodily injury, according to Thomas Min, the deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case.

Henderson entered his plea Thursday morning before Judge Ronald W. Hansen in Merced Superior Court.

He was sentenced to serve one year in jail and three years of probation. Additionally, Min said, Henderson was ordered by the judge not to possess any firearms or ammunition and was also ordered to stay away from the man he shot, 38-year-old Stephen Ray Taylor.

Min said Taylor’s family supported the plea deal prosecutors reached with Henderson.

“As long as the victim’s family is satisfied with the disposition, we’re satisfied,” Min said. “There were a lot of factors in the case, some of which may have been difficult to prove, and all the different factors led us to believe this was the most appropriate disposition.”

Sean Howard, the deputy public defender representing Henderson, said his client weighed the risks of going to trial versus accepting a plea deal and decided the best decision was strike a bargain with prosecutors.

“Basically, if he lost a trial, he would’ve been sentenced to 33 years to life in prison and when all the parties supported this (disposition) it was just hard for him to turn it down,” Howard said.

Henderson shot Taylor on Oct. 20 outside a home in the 5100 block of Noah Drive in Atwater. Henderson fired three shots from a .38-caliber handgun, striking Taylor in the face and arm. Taylor survived the attack, the Merced County Sheriff’s Department said.

Investigators said Henderson was upset because Taylor had broken off their romantic relationship.

Henderson had said was defending himself from Taylor during the incident. Hansen in January said there was some possible evidence supporting a self-defense argument, but also noted there was stronger evidence showing Henderson had used a firearm to defend himself against a simple verbal threat.

This story was originally published February 19, 2015 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Atwater man pleads no contest in shooting attack."