Mario Simmons was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murder of Paul Mollette Friday.

Mollette was killed on Feb. 28, 2003 after arguing with Simmons at the Tornado Club and Lounge.

Both were thrown out of the club that night. A few minutes later at 1:55 a.m. Simmons was seen by Selma Police Officer Tony Neely pursuing Mollette and firing at the 21-year-old Selma resident.

Neely ordered the 26-year-old Simmons to stop, but Simmons refused and Neely shot him in the right leg.

Simmons continued pursuing Mollette, even while injured, and was finally disarmed on the south side of the Washington Street Supermarket.

Molette was injured several times in the chest and back.

Molette and Simmons were both transported to Vaughan Regional Medical Center. Molette died in transport. Simmons was treated for his leg injury, arrested and transported to the Dallas County Jail.

For Molette’s family, the sentence is small comfort for losing a loved one.

Talisa Morgan, Molette’s cousin, expects the sentence to provide the family with some sense of closure.

“We’ve been healing,” she said. “This is going to give us some closure, to know he’s behind bars. It’s not going to give us complete closure, but it’s something.”

Simmons family was on hand for the sentencing Morgan said.

“The family apologized,” she said. Still the apology isn’t much as far as Morgan is concerned.

“Where was the apology when (he died)?” she said.

Simmons has been free on bond for a year since being arrested. He will be up for parole in 2011.

“We were looking for a heavier sentence,” Morgan said. “I guess we’ll have to live with it, because 25 is better than 10. I’ll be at every hearing for his parole.”