Shawn Gaston Was Sentenced To 125 Years For Killing A Cop Say's "I'm Innocent"

A self-proclaimed gang member convicted in the killing of a Chicago police officer was sentenced to 125 years in prison Friday.

Shawn Gaston was found guilty last month of being the triggerman in the shooting death of Officer Alejandro "Alex" Valadez on June 1, 2009. Gaston, the first of three men to stand trial, was also found guilty of attempted murder for shooting at Valadez's partner in the same incident.

The sentence is the maximum Gaston could have received, and he'll have to serve at least 80 years.

Gaston continued to proclaim his innocence at Friday's sentencing.

"I love my family. I want to apologize to you, to the victim's family I send my heart out. But I'm an innocent man, I lost a lot of people in my life too. But I'm an innocent man," Gaston said.Valadez and his partner, Tom   Vargas, were responding to a call of shots fired at West 60th Street and South Hermitage Avenue that night in June 2009 when Valadez was struck by bullets in his thigh and behind his left ear.

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