‘History between these two.’ Shooter sentenced in 2018 Macon Chick-fil-A slaying
A Macon man pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter Tuesday in the shooting death of a young man he chased inside a drive-thru Chick-fil-A during a fight near Macon Mall on Labor Day 2018.
The shooter, Julian Charles Kongquee, who turned 20 in November, was sentenced to 10 years behind bars and five more years on probation.
Investigators have said the victim, Leonard Kendrick Spivey Jr., 18, and Kongquee, had numerous run-ins leading up to their chance meeting outside the Bloomfield Road Chick-fil-A, which overlooks the mall between Eisenhower Parkway and Mercer University Drive.
Officials have cited previous incidents between the pair with Spivey being the aggressor.
The day of the shooting, investigators say the two were quarreling in a parking lot outside the restaurant, which has a two-lane drive-through but no inside seating.
During the fray, a worker at the fast-food eatery opened a back door and Spivey ran in, tailed by Kongquee, who had a handgun. Kongquee shot Spivey and ran away.
Kongquee was initially charged with murder.
Prosecutors say fights were common when Kongquee and Spivey encountered one another, noting that Kongquee has claimed that Spivey stabbed him in 2016 and robbed and shot Kongquee the next year.
“There was a history between these two,” Jason Martin, a Bibb County assistant district attorney, said after Tuesday’s sentencing hearing in Bibb Superior Court.
Martin said it was not clear the day of the shooting who the aggressor was. Some of the clash was recorded by surveillance cameras, but their initial run-in was not.
Martin said Kongquee and Spivey, as was “common” when the two met up, began fighting that Sept. 3 afternoon outside the Chick-fil-A.
Kongquee, the prosecutor said, told investigators he was losing the fight and that he went to his car, grabbed a pistol and chased the unarmed Spivey into the back of the restaurant.
Spivey was shot a number of times, including in his right cheek, lower neck, upper back, chest and once in each arm.
Minutes after cops went to the shooting scene, Kongquee called to report that he was the culprit and he turned himself in.
In a statement to The Telegraph, Bibb District Attorney David Cooke said, “It’s unfortunate that Mr. Spivey’s continued torment of Mr. Kongquee, and Mr. Kongquee’s decision to take the law into his own hands resulted in Mr. Spivey’s death and multiple innocent bystanders being put in danger. With this plea and sentence, Mr. Kongquee will have many years to reflect on his choice.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 2:36 PM.