A dispute between two men at a Gwinnett County gas station last year turned violent, leaving one man dead.
This week the gunman, a man using a wheelchair, was found guilty of murder.
Willie Lee Jones, 48, was convicted Thursday of two counts of murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a felon on May 10, 2023, in which 64 people were killed. birthday boy Benjamin Alonzo Francis.
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On May 10, 2023, both men encountered each other at a gas station near 6355 Jimmy Carter Boulevard. According to police, the two men did not know each other.
During the investigation, surveillance video showed the two men exchanging words before Francis, armed with a box cutter, attacked Jones and knocked him out of his wheelchair.
Jones got back into his wheelchair and called Michael Joe Kelly Davis, who brought a gun to the gas station to give to Jones. Investigators say Jones forced his way to where Francis was and fired multiple shots at Francis, killing him.
Francis fell, police said, landing on Jones, knocking him out of his wheelchair and landing on Jones.
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Jones was able to lift Francis’ body off of him and get back into the wheelchair to flee the scene. When interviewed by police and in court, Jones told police he shot Francis in self-defense.
Before the trial, Davis, who gave Jones the murder weapon, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His punishment is unknown.
“Vigilance is not the way to handle disputes,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “A man was senselessly murdered, and his family and loved ones must come to terms with his loss. We grieve with them and hope that this verdict and sentence will help alleviate their suffering.”
Jones was sentenced to life in prison plus five years with the possibility of parole.
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