Young man faces 20 years for manslaughter

A Westminster man has been ordered to serve 20 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter, a shooting death that occurred Valentine Day’s last year at a home near Walhalla. The sentence for Tyler Mark Broome carries a concurrent term of five years for pointing and presenting a firearm. The victim in the case was home owner Steve McDowell who found Broome, an uninvited intruder on his property in the early morning hours. Broome had worked with McDowell’s son, but the son was out of state. And, at the time the senior McDowell and his wife, Nancy, had secured a trespass notice against Broome, as the result of several earlier incidents at the home caused by the defendant. Exactly why Broome had appeared at the home at night was debated in the courtroom this afternoon, with the victim’s widow suggesting he was there to commit armed robbery. The two men exchanged gunfire. Broome suffered multiple wounds, but Mr. McDowell died in surgery. Mrs. McDowell described Mr. McDowell as a loving husband who took early retirement to care for her, a cancer patient. At the time, Broome was 22 years old, so that upon completing his prison term, he will still be relatively young on release. Once released, Broome’s grandmother, Linda Hanvey, said she is going to make sure that her grandson starts to live a good life. The defendant apologized in court to Mrs. McDowell and her family. In his sentence, he will be credited with 616 days in jail awaiting trial.