Road rage shooting suspect sentenced 40 years in prison after Texas City man killed

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Texas City man is facing a lengthy sentence after pleading guilty to a road rage shooting that killed the owner of Bayou Bistro and Bar out of Galveston County last year.

The video above is a report from January 2022.

On Jan. 23, Messiah James Pickens-McCoy pleaded guilty to Gregory Walter Sharretts' shooting death back in January 2022.

On Tuesday, a judge sentenced Pickens-McCoy to 40 years in prison.

Authorities said on Jan. 26, 2022, the two were approaching an intersection on Highway 3 when Pickens-McCoy began firing several shots toward the bar owner's vehicle.

Investigators said the shooting was captured on video by a camera mounted in a car behind Sharretts and Pickens-McCoy.

Police said Sharetts was hit in the back of the head, and video shows Pickens-McCoy continued to drive down 25th Avenue North.

SEE MORE: Bayou Bistro and Bar owner killed in Texas City shooting

A Texas City police officer reportedly heard the gunshots and saw Pickens-McCoy driving more than 100 miles per hour on Amburn Road.

According to investigators, the officer tried to pull him over, but he refused to stop and eventually parked in a nearby apartment complex.

Police said Pickens-McCoy was driving, and his brother, Noah Pickens-McCoy, was a passenger. Authorities noted that they found a Glock 9mm handgun and an empty magazine inside the vehicle.

A spent shell casing was also found on the vehicle near the windshield wiper blades, according to investigators.

Pickens-McCoy was charged with murder, evading arrest in a motor vehicle, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

He pleaded guilty to the murder charge on Tuesday, but it is unclear what led to the deadly shooting.

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