ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A Bethlehem man convicted of a Father's Day 2022 shooting at a Catasauqua playground has been sentenced to up to 39 years in prison, officials announced Thursday.
Kian Deater, 21, was sentenced by Lehigh County Judge James T. Anthony to serve 17 ½ to 39 years in state prison on felony charges. They included aggravated assault with attempt to cause serious bodily injury with extreme indifference, aggravated assault with attempt to cause bodily injury with a deadly weapon, and related counts.
He had faced a maximum sentence of 51 years in state prison. No one was hit in the shooting, according to published reports at the time.
Catasauqua police were called about 6:45 p.m. June 19, 2022, for reports of shots fired near a playground and park at 501 American St., according to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.
At the time, the park was filled with adults and children, including a group of people playing basketball, according to a news release.
Deater, armed with a handgun, fired several rounds at an occupied vehicle near the basketball courts.
He was arrested minutes later, after a brief chase, and the loaded gun was found nearby, police said.
At the time of the shooting, Deater, who then was 19, was on parole for a June 12, 2019, shooting in Emmaus.
In addition to the aggravated assault charges, Deater was convicted by a Lehigh County jury on charges of possession of a firearm prohibited, also a felony; carrying a firearm without a license; and misdemeanor charges of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.
The case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Bethany Zampogna.