Guilty plea entered in robbery try

Greg Sharkey pleaded guilty Friday to a felony that will cost him about three years in prison. But the injuries Sharkey suffered while committing that crime could result in a lifetime of pain.

Sharkey, 22, pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree robbery in connection with a Feb. 11 holdup where a victim told Spokane police that he was confronted by two men and a woman who were trying to rob him at his apartment at 401 E. Magnesium Ave.

During the incident, the victim said he answered a knock to his door and stepped outside to speak to Sharkey. A second suspect, Artez L. Woolard, 21, confronted the victim and he retreated back into his apartment.

Sharkey then broke down the door and pointed what looked like a gun at the victim. Not knowing Sharkey’s gun was actually a pellet gun, the victim grabbed his own gun and shot Sharkey in the chest.

As a result of the shooting, Sharkey has been forced to use a colostomy bag. A bullet fragment also lodged near one of his vertebrae.

Assistant Public Defender Tom Krzyminski said the bullet could shift and cause permanent paralysis.

As a result, Superior Court Judge Ellen Kalama Clark allowed Sharkey to be released so a doctor can rejoin the ends of his intestine and reverse the colostomy. Sharkey will also have an expert look at the bullet fragment, Krzyminski said.

Sharkey will remain free until his sentencing, which Judge Clark set for 9:30 a.m. Nov. 29. Sharkey, who has no prior felony convictions, is facing between 35 and 42 months in prison.