By Erika Hernandez
May 5, 2024, 18:11 PM EDT
A former security guard and police officer was found guilty of first-degree murder for shooting an unarmed black man. during a dispute over loud music at a supermarket gas station in Memphis, Tennessee.
Gregory Livingston, 57, was found guilty by a jury on Friday in the August 2021 fatal shooting of Alvin Motley Jr., 48, according to The Associate Press.
Motley had been visiting Memphis from Chicago when he got into an argument with Livingston at a Kroger gas station, media outlets reported at the time.
Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft sentenced Livingston to life in prison.
Motley, who was black, was a passenger in a car when Livingston, who is white, approached and engaged in a conversation over loud music coming from the vehicle that steadily escalated, according to court documents.
With a beer and a cigarette in hand, Motley walked toward Livingston during the argument and suggested they discuss the matter “like men.” At that point, the defendant pulled out his gun and fired a single shot into the victim’s chest. He died at the scene.
During the trial, Livingston’s lawyers argued that he acted in self-defense. Court records show a motion for a new trial has been filed.
Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk’s office handled the case after then-Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich recused herself because an investigator in her office had an off-duty job at the security firm. who employed Livingston.
Livingston was previously a police officer in Horn Lake, Mississippi.
Motley’s sister has said that he was an aspiring actor, entertainer and radio personality.
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