Palm Springs man sentenced for Cathedral City police officer death

40-year-old Drujan Gray of Palm Springs was sentenced to 32 years to life in prison for the death of Cathedral City police officer Jermaine Gibson. Gray was convicted in July on a slew of charges to include second degree murder.

Gray remained silent during the emotional proceedings and winked at his family as the sentence was handed down. Members of Gray’s family broke down into tears when the sentence was read.

Gibson’s father, Joseph Gibson, gave a statement during the sentencing stating he was a religious man and wasn’t angry at Gray. He said he would pray for Gray’s family and would accept whatever sentence the judge deemed appropriate. Joseph Gibson said the sentence would allow his family to move forward.

“We’re going to miss him as a son..and his mother is going to miss him…his wife is going to miss him…we’re all going to miss him but today finally….closure,” he said.

Gray’s wife, Amy Andrews Gray, also gave a statement pleading to the judge to give the minimum sentence for her husband. She said Gray was a loving man wanted a chance for him to redeem himself.

“We’re not going to sit by idle and watch the justice system turn my husband into another statistic because he isn’t a statistic,” she said. “He’s a human being and deserves a chance at redemption.”

Gray led police on a high speed pursuit in March of 2011 after a failed traffic stop. During the pursuit, Officer Gibson crashed his patrol car into a palm tree and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Gray’s wife said she plans on appealing the case and felt the case was still open in her mind.