SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — A man convicted of murder in a drive-by shooting from three years ago was sentenced Friday to prison, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
Joshua Lee Atkinson, 22, was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison after his April 5 conviction of first-degree murder for shooting 20-year-old Tyree Xavier Scott in the back of the head and killing him in August 2021, the District Attorney's office said.
On Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, several drivers called 911 just after 6 p.m. to report a drive-by shooting on Elsie Avenue near Stockton Boulevard, according to law enforcement. Scott was reportedly shot at seven times, and one bullet fatally struck the back of his head.
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office deputies reportedly obtained surveillance video identifying a dark sedan as the suspect vehicle, and all witnesses stated the suspect was shooting at the victim from the sedan’s passenger side.
Video showed Atkinson entering the sedan’s passenger seat minutes before the shooting and tracked the car up until the incident, according to a DA’s office news release.
After killing Scott, a group of men allegedly removed license plates from the sedan and covered it with a sheet across town. Surveillance was set up to monitor the car, and a group that later returned to it was detained, law enforcement said. Atkinson was not present at that detainment.
Law enforcement said a nine-millimeter pistol was found in the car and matched shell casings from the drive-by shooting. Atkinson was reportedly arrested a day later. He was 19 years old at the time.
WATCH MORE: 2 killed in Natomas shooting
