LIFE SENTENCE FOR MAN CONVICTED OF MURDERING BIRMINGHAM POLICE OFFICER

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – A man convicted in the shooting death of an off-duty Birmingham police officer was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Media outlets report 42-year-old Patrick Johnson was sentenced Monday. In October, he was convicted of felony murder in the 2014 shooting death of Birmingham Police Officer Keary Hollis.

A jury reached a deadlock on a verdict in May and Johnson was tried again in October.

Hollis was off-duty when he was shot to death during a dispute outside a convenience store. Johnson said Hollis, who had been drinking, had backed over his motorcycle in the store parking lot.

Johnson testified he shot Hollis in self-defense after the officer pointed a gun at him.

Jefferson County Circuit Judge Clyde Jones said the shooting was an inexcusable act.

Photo courtesy al.com