A Texan man is set to serve a lengthy prison term after admitting guilt in a road rage incident resulting in the fatal shooting of the owner of Bayou Bistro and Bar in Galveston County last year. Messiah James Pickens-McCoy pleaded guilty on January 23 to the shooting death of Gregory Walter Sharretts in January 2022.
In response, a judge handed down a 40-year prison sentence to Pickens-McCoy. The tragic incident occurred on January 26, 2022, as both individuals approached an intersection on Highway 3. Pickens-McCoy unleashed a series of gunshots towards Sharretts’ vehicle, an act caught on video by a camera in a car behind them.
The footage revealed that Sharretts suffered a fatal gunshot to the back of his head, while Pickens-McCoy continued driving down 25th Avenue North. A Texas City police officer, alerted by the gunshots, observed Pickens-McCoy speeding at over 100 miles per hour on Amburn Road. Attempting to pull him over, the officer’s efforts were in vain as Pickens-McCoy refused to stop and eventually parked at a nearby apartment complex.
Behind the wheel was Pickens-McCoy, accompanied by his brother, Noah Pickens-McCoy. Inside the vehicle, authorities discovered a Glock 9mm handgun and an empty magazine. Additionally, a spent shell casing was found near the windshield wiper blades.
Pickens-McCoy faced charges of murder, evading arrest in a motor vehicle, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. While he pleaded guilty to the murder charge on Tuesday, the motive behind the deadly shooting remains unclear.
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