Man gets 100 years in prison for shootings that killed 1, wounded others

LAS VEGAS– A Las Vegas judge has sentenced a Texas man to 100 years in prison for his role in a two-state shooting rampage on Thanksgiving 2020 that included the killing of a man in Nevada and a shootout with authorities in Arizona.

Christopher McDonnell, 32, pleaded guilty in October to more than 20 crimes, including murder, attempted murder, murder conspiracy, weapons charges and illegal possession of a firearm as a felon.

Clark County Judge Tierra Jones sentenced him Friday to a minimum of 100 years in prison. KLAS-TV reports this. If he is still alive, he will be eligible for parole in 2120, with credit for time served.

McDonnell of Tyler, Texas, his brother Shawn McDonnell, 34, and Shawn McDonnell’s then-wife, Kayleigh Lewis, 29, originally faced dozens of charges.

Police and prosecutors say the trio began an 11-hour rampage on Nov. 26, 2020, in which apparently random shootings included the death of Kevin Mendiola Jr., 22, at a supermarket in Henderson, near Las Vegas, and drive-by gunfire which resulted in injuries. several other people.

The group then moved on to Arizona, where more shootings occurred, including one involving a police officer. All three were arrested after their car rolled over.

Prosecutors said Lewis was the driver when the two brothers shot indiscriminately out of the vehicle’s windows. Shawn McDonnell and Lewis are awaiting trial.

The shooting ended near the city of Parker, Arizona, on the Colorado River, following a chase involving Arizona Department of Public Safety officers, the crash of a car with a Texas license plate and the injury of Shawn McDonnell by troopers wielding assault-style rifles. , the police said.