Man sentenced to life for deadly shooting during robbery at Clayton County gas station
CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - A 23-year-old Clayton County man will spend the rest of his life in prison for a deadly shooting during a robbery at a Clayton County gas station.
On the afternoon of Nov. 6, 2016, 28-year-old Christopher Barnes left his family's restaurant to get gas at a Chevron on Rex Road.
While Barnes was standing at the pump, police say 18-year-old Daijon Tyes and three of his friends pulled up next to him. Video surveillance showed Tyes leave the car with a gun in his hand and demand money from Barnes.
When Barnes resisted, officials say the teen fired six shots, killing the man. Tyes tried to run off on foot but was caught quickly by police with the gun still on his person.
"I only heard about three or four shots. There was a body laying on the ground between pumps two and three. My kids had to see that," witness Denise Wright recalled.
Speaking to FOX 5 in 2019, Verica Tobin-Williams describes her son as full of life, loving and caring. Barnes was her oldest child and only son.
"He did not deserve it. He did not deserve to die. He was simply getting gas," she said.
During questioning, Tyes admitted to killing Barnes during the robbery.
On Sept. 14, a Clayton County jury found Tyes guilty of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, criminal attempt to commit a robbery, and aggravated assault.
"We hope this conviction brings some peace to the family of Mr. Barnes and that citizens of Clayton County and the State of Georgia can rest easier knowing that we have removed a violent offender from the streets," Clayton County District Attorney Tasha M. Mosley said.
A superior court judge sentenced Tyes to life in prison with the possibility of parole plus 15 years.
Investigators believe Tyes was also the gunman in a separate shooting two days later at the Citizens Lanes Bowling Alley located along Goodson Connector Road. The then-teenager and two others were seen on surveillance video getting into an argument with members of a film production crew, according to investigators, before shots were fired.