‘Chance meeting’ at Macon Chick-fil-A led to killing to avenge another shooting, cops say

The motive for a fatal shooting at a Chick-fil-A stems from an armed robbery and shooting nearly a year earlier, Bibb County sheriff’s investigators say.

Leonard Kendrick Spivey Jr. and another person had a “chance meeting” Monday with Julian Charles Kongquee in the parking lot of the drive-thru restaurant at 3745 Bloomfield Road, Bibb sheriff’s investigator Marcus Baker said Wednesday.

Since Oct. 16, the two 18-year-olds had multiple scuffles after Kongquee was shot in the leg and another man was wounded during an armed robbery at the Westminster Apartments on North Atwood Drive, just a short walk from the fast food chicken restaurant.

“New evidence suggests Leonard Spivey committed the shooting,” said Baker, who is the lead investigator in the Sept. 3 homicide and the 2017 armed robbery and aggravated assault.

Last fall, Kongquee and the other shooting victim, Ottis Hill, did not cooperate with authorities.

“They wouldn’t tell me anything,” Baker said.

In the past 11 months, Spivey and Kongquee have had regular skirmishes.

“They’ve had an ongoing conflict since the shooting, and they’ve actually fought multiple times since,” Baker said. “Evidence shows Mr. Spivey has been the aggressor until (Monday).”

Spivey was not armed when the pair met again in the parking lot of the Chick-fil-A next to the Macon Mall.

When an employee opened a side door, Spivey ran in followed by Kongquee, who shot him multiple times, deputies say.

“It’s notable that Kongquee has been very upfront and honest about the whole situation,” Baker said.

After requesting a commitment hearing in court Tuesday, Kongquee lowered his head in an apparent sign of remorse.

Spivey, Bibb County’s 29th homicide victim of 2018, also has been linked to two teens accused of the community’s 26th and 27th killings.

Investigators have information that Jeremy Jerome Kendrick, 17, and Arie Calloway, 16, were with Spivey when Kongquee was shot last fall, Baker said.

In recent weeks, Kendrick and Calloway are accused of shooting and killing two store clerks in apparent armed robberies: Alpeshkumar Prajapati, 36, on Aug. 14 at the Gulf Food Mart at 2893 Napier Ave. and 21-year-old Waqar Ali at Market Place No. 5 at the corner of Vineville and Holt avenues on Aug. 21.

Spivey has not been linked to those killings but is suspected of other crimes with the younger teens, Baker said.

“The evidence suggests all three of these folks may be connected to other unspecified crimes,” he said.

Investigators are exploring any possible gang connections in these cases and other recent homicides involving teen suspects.

Bibb sheriff’s Capt. Shermaine Jones is troubled by the number of young people accused of violent crimes.

“That’s the sad state of Macon-Bibb right now,” Jones said. “We have children being killed and children killing children. There’s no growth there.”

Bibb sheriff’s investigators are not as familiar with Kongquee as they are Spivey, Baker said.

A search of Bibb County court records did not show a criminal record for Kongquee, although he was arrested in April on charges of obstruction, battery and criminal trespass, according to Bibb jail records.

After the October shooting, Kongquee got a gun, according to evidence uncovered in the Spivey homicide investigation.

“It’s still under investigation as to whether he obtained it legally,” Baker said.

At this point, Kongquee has no connection to the beating death of Spivey’s grandmother, Ellen Sandifer, 57, who was found dead Aug. 22 in her home on Triple Hill Drive, off of Rocky Creek Road.

Baker said the sheriff’s office is continuing to search for Sandifer’s killer.

“If you commit a violent crime in Macon, Georgia, me and my team are coming to find you,” he said.

This story was originally published September 5, 2018 at 5:02 PM.