A southeast Canton man has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting a 75-year-old Vietnam War veteran and holding four others at gunpoint during a violent encounter inside a Canton Township bar.
Samuel D. Shank, 26, was convicted Wednesday of murder, felonious assault, and four counts of abduction in connection with the March 24 shooting at the Old Landmark Tavern. On Thursday, Stark County Common Pleas Judge Taryn Heath sentenced Shank to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 29 years.
Prosecutors said Shank shot and killed Phillip L. Harris during a dispute inside the bar, then threatened four other people with a gun, holding them against their will.
The weeklong trial began July 28. After less than two and a half hours of deliberation, a jury returned guilty verdicts on all six charges, including firearm specifications for each offense. Shank was acquitted on one count of felonious assault related to another bar patron.
Under Ohio law, murder carries a sentence of 15 years to life, with an additional three years required for using a firearm. Judge Heath determined Shank’s parole eligibility after 29 years based on the severity of the crimes and multiple victims.
Harris, a U.S. Army veteran, was remembered by friends and family as a kind and loyal man with deep ties to the Canton community.
