A judge in Las Vegas, USA, has sentenced a Texas man to 100 years in prison for his involvement in a two-state shooting spree on Thanksgiving 2020, which included the killing of a man in Nevada and a shootout with authorities in Arizona.
Christopher McDonnell, 32, pleaded guilty in October to more than 20 felonies, including murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, weapons charges, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Clark County District Judge Tierra Jones sentenced McDonnell on Friday, 13 December, to a minimum of 100 years in prison, with the possibility of parole in 2120, subject to credit for time served.
McDonnell, from Tyler, Texas, his brother Shawn McDonnell, 34, and Shawn’s then-wife, Kayleigh Lewis, 29, initially faced dozens of charges.
Police and prosecutors stated the trio embarked on an 11-hour rampage on 26 November 2020, carrying out random shootings that resulted in the death of Kevin Mendiola Jr., 22, at a convenience store in Henderson, near Las Vegas, and a series of drive-by shootings that wounded several others.
The group continued their spree into Arizona, where they were involved in additional shootings, including one that targeted a police officer. All three were eventually arrested after their car rolled over.
Prosecutors said Lewis was driving the vehicle while the two brothers fired indiscriminately from the windows. Shawn McDonnell and Lewis are awaiting trial.
The rampage concluded near Parker, Arizona, after a chase involving officers from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the crash of a car with a Texas licence plate, and the wounding of Shawn McDonnell by troopers armed with assault-style rifles, police confirmed.
