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By Kevin McGill, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

GRETNA, La. — The man convicted of manslaughter in the 2016 road rage shooting death of former CFL and NFL running back Joe McKnight was sentenced to 30 years in prison Thursday.

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Ronald Gasser, 56, had faced up to 40 years in prison. Defence lawyers argued that Gasser fired in self-defence when McKnight walked up to his car following a 5-mile confrontation that began on a bridge spanning the Mississippi River in New Orleans and ended with gunfire in neighbouring Jefferson Parish.

McKnight’s mother testified Thursday during the sentencing hearing. Jennifer McKnight left the courtroom sobbing after angrily telling Gasser: “You didn’t have to do that.”

Witnesses at the trial said McKnight had been weaving in and out of traffic at high speed before the shooting. Prosecutors acknowledged to the jury that he was, in the words of Assistant District Attorney Seth Shute, “driving like a jerk.” But they argued that Gasser escalated the conflict, following him down an exit that he would not ordinarily have taken moments before the shooting.