The Roxbury youth who at age 15 fired three rounds at a Pop Warner football coach, wounding him, was sentenced to five years in state prison, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced today.

Indicted under the state’s Youthful Offender statute, which allows juveniles to be tried as adults for certain violent crimes, DAQUADRY NORMAN (D.O.B. 4/25/92) pleaded guilty to armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and unlawful possession of a firearm, all in connection with the Oct. 13, 2007, incident at Roxbury’s Washington Park.

“This was a case about choices,” Conley said. “The victim was a youth sports coach, and he’d made the choice to make the world around him better by teaching young, at-risk kids the value of teamwork and fair play. The defendant, on the other hand, made his own choices to carry a gun, to pull it on a man who posed no threat to him, and to pull the trigger three times.”

Had the case proceeded to trial, Assistant District Attorney Mark Zanini, the chief of Conley’s Juvenile Unit, would have introduced evidence and testimony to show that the victim, then 39, was driving with his two children to Washington Park, where he was coaching a group of 8 to 10-year-old football players.

Shortly before 12:30, the victim’s vehicle clipped the defendant’s pit bull as it walked unleashed on Dale Street. The dog was uninjured, but when the victim exited his vehicle to check on its condition, Norman threatened him. The victim tried to calm Norman down, but the youth insisted that “we’re gonna have to handle this.” He kicked the vehicle’s door.

The victim returned to his vehicle and made his way to practice. A short time later, Norman and a group of his associates arrived at the scene. The victim, sensing a confrontation, called a friend who was also a Boston Police officer and informed him what was happening.

“You think you can just hit my dog and get away with it?” the defendant said.

Believing that one or more of the youths might be carrying a gun, the victim had the presence of mind to position himself away from the practicing children so that any “errant rounds” wouldn’t strike them, Zanini said.

It was at this time that Norman drew the 9mm semiautomatic handgun and fired three times at the victim. One of those rounds struck him in the upper right thigh. He fell to the ground and the defendant fled with his associates.

In addition to recommending state prison time, Zanini asked the court to impose two years of probation to begin upon Norman’s release, during which Norman must stay away from the Warren Gardens and St. Joseph’s housing developments – the scenes of almost all of his prior arrests. Boston Juvenile Court Judge Paul D. Lewis accommodated that request.

Norman was represented by attorney Stephen Weymouth.