PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia man who was convicted of striking a 5-year-old girl, her sister and uncle, and then driving off, will spend at least six years in prison.
Andre Shuford, 55, was sentenced Tuesday to 6-15 years behind bars. He was convicted last August of aggravated assault by vehicle and other related offenses for striking 5-year-old Divinity McFarland, her 3-year-old sister Esence and their uncle, 43-year-old Shaheed Richburg.
It was on Sept. 2, 2022 when Richburg and his nieces were hit head-on by Shuford, who was driving a pickup truck. Richburg had just picked the children up from daycare and was taking them to the McDonalds near 56th and Vine streets in West Philadelphia.
Shuford, who has previous convictions including another aggravated assault case, gun and drug possession, said he didn’t remember the crash. Prosecutors played a video of the 55-year-old hitting another car before the crash, getting out, looking at it and then getting back in and taking off. They say he abandoned the truck nearby and spent nearly two months on the run.