Warner Robins man sentenced to 12 years in prison for Popeyes shooting, DA says
A Warner Robins man was convicted Tuesday of shooting at a man outside a Popeye’s restaurant in 2019, according to Houston County District Attorney William Kendall.
A judge sentenced Matthew Elijah Patterson, 29, to 12 years in prison for aggravated assault after a jury convicted Patterson of shooting at a car, according to a news release from Kendall’s office. The trial lasted two days.
The shooting happened in September 2019 when Thomas Hickey, the victim, went to the Popeye’s eatery on Russell Parkway in Warner Robins to fill out a job application. Hickey took the application to his car when the restaurant was about to close.
Patterson and a co-defendant then started harassing Hickey, the news release said, though they stopped when Hickey recorded the harassment on his phone.
When Hickey started to drive away, Patterson shot at the car at least nine times and hit it three times, the DA’s office said. Hickey was not injured in the shooting.
Patterson was also sentenced to 13 years of probation following his prison sentence, according to the DA’s office. The status of Patterson’s co-defendant, Troy Lewis Jr., was unclear Thursday.
