William “Trig” Long, who supplied the gun used to shoot Johnny Amy down on a Norwich street in 2011, turned to the victim’s family at his sentencing Friday in New London Superior Court and vowed to do something good in Amy’s name. 

Long, 37, had pleaded no contest to manslaughter with a firearm and was sentenced to 16 years in prison followed by 12 years of special parole. 

“I’m sorry for your terrible loss,” Long said. “I was there. I could have stopped it if I wasn’t so intoxicated. I have to live with this for the rest of my life.” 

Long said he would not go back to that way of life and would do something with his life “in Mr. Amy’s name.” 

Amy, 25, worked at Foxwoods Resort Casino and had a young son. Evidence in the case indicated that his shooter, Daquan R. Holmes, mistook him for a man with whom he had a minor dispute after a night of drinking. 

According to testimony and court documents, Long, who was out with Holmes and two women on May 21, 2011, retrieved a .22-caliber pistol from his apartment and drove around with the others looking for Joseph Cadet, with whom Holmes had words outside of Chacers Bar on Franklin Street at closing time. 

Amy, who was wearing a red shirt like the intended target, was walking down Franklin Street with another man. Long handed the gun to Holmes before the two men jumped out of the car and gunfire erupted. 

In May 2014, a jury convicted Holmes of murder and attempted murder and Judge Barbara Bailey Jongbloed sentenced him to 54 years in prison. Long opted to plead no contest rather than take his case to trial. 

Prosecutor Stephen M. Carney said what happened that night is incomprehensible. 

“I’m at a loss,” Carney said. “Usually in a case like this, the person has a reason. Not this one.” 

Mario Amy, the victim’s father, had spoken at Holmes’ sentencing about how Holmes stole his son’s life. He opted not to speak at Long’s sentencing. 

“He suffered a great injustice at the hands of Mr. Long and his codefendant, Mr. Holmes, and he strikes me as a profoundly sad individual,” Carney said. 

Long’s attorney, Peter E. Scillieri, called the crime “a pointless, ridiculous, random, stupid loss.” He said Long, who had moved to Norwich from New York, had a minor criminal history prior to the homicide, including a motor vehicle charge involving alcohol. A video seized by police showed Long stumbling into Chacers and buying a drink, which Long was “happy to consume,” Scillieri said. 

“If you have enough guns and enough alcohol, anything is possible,” he said.“I think Mr. Long was as surprised as anyone when Mr. Holmes got out and unloaded his weapon,” Scillieri said. 

In making a case against Holmes and Long, the state had relied on testimony from Maria Fluker and Roberta Karr, who were with Holmes and Long that night. 

k.florin@theday.com 

Twitter: @KFLORIN