Advertisement Pittsburgh police shooter apologizes, gets long prison sentence Dashcam video of police shootout was shown in court before Dante Bonner pleaded guilty to shooting Officer Chris Kertis Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A Larimer man who admitted shooting a Pittsburgh police officer was sentenced Thursday to 39 to 78 years in prison.Dante Bonner, 20, apologized in court and told Allegheny County Judge Beth Lazzara that this was a wake-up call for him.Lazzara said that Bonner's apology was hollow and that he would do anything to avoid jail time. She cited his conduct in court in June, when he pleaded guilty to charges including attempted homicide and assault against a law enforcement officer and was overheard to say, "I should have (expletive) killed you" to the victim, Officer Christopher Kertis.Referencing Bonner's previous comment, Kertis said that Bonner shows no remorse and that he will have to deal with the memory of his shooting for the rest of his life.VIDEO: Watch Amber Nicotra's reportKertis' partner, Officer Charles Thomas, also gave a statement in court, saying that he felt a mixture of fear, anger and anxiety when his wounded partner was on the ground, and didn't know if Kertis was still alive. Thomas said he and Kertis will never forget that day.Dashcam video from a police car showed an exchange of gunfire between a fleeing man and city police on March 17, 2013. The video was shown to Lazzara prior to Bonner entering a guilty plea at a June 10 court hearing.VIDEO: Dashcam video shows gunfire exchange involving police officer (WARNING: VIOLENT CONTENT)Bonner was a passenger in a car that wasn't stopping for police after a traffic violation. The pursuit became a foot chase when the fleeing car stopped in an East Busway parking lot near Fifth Avenue and McPherson Boulevard.In the video, Bonner can be seen bolting from the rear left passenger door of the car and out of sight, then doubling back into view. Kertis is visible running right behind him. As seen on the video, they both stumbled and fell. Bonner can be seen getting up and opening fire on Kertis, hitting the officer twice in the left leg. Kertis and other police officers can be seen returning fire. Bonner fired a third time, and gunfire continued from police as they say Bonner reached again for the gun. Bonner was also shot during the incident.Kertis was critically injured. He also broke his wrists when he tripped and fell while chasing Bonner. He returned to duty in June 2013.