Two men were sentenced to prison Wednesday in a 2020 shooting that left a military veteran dead outside a Goodwill donation center in northwest Atlanta.
Leandre Pittman and Antonio Sanders were convicted Tuesday of murder, violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, aggravated assault, hijacking a motor vehicle and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. They were both sentenced to life, plus an additional 25 years, Fulton County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Pallavi Bailey said.
On Oct. 20, 2020, Lawrence Denney, a 73-year-old Vietnam War veteran, stopped by a Goodwill on Collier Road to donate several books before heading to work. He was later found shot multiple times outside of the charity, police previously said.
Bailey said that Pittman and Sanders were breaking into and stealing cars in the parking lot. When Denney returned to the lot after donating the books, he noticed his car was being stolen. As he approached the vehicle, Pittman and Sanders opened fire, Bailey added.
Denney’s vehicle was later found at the Camelot Condominiums in South Fulton. Bailey said the apartment complex is a “known territory of the 5275 Slimegang Young Crew, a predominantly juvenile and young adult gang with connections to YSL,” or “Young Slime Life.” She confirmed that Pittman and Sanders were affiliated with the 5275 Slimegang Young Crew.
Pittman was arrested on Thanksgiving Day, just over a month after the shooting, in Clayton County. Sanders was already in custody at the Fulton County Jail when arrest warrants were obtained charging him in Denney’s death.
“An honorable veteran was heinously gunned down as he was donating to charity,” District Attorney Fani Willis said. “Although we can’t undo this brutal loss of life, I hope that our commitment to pursuing and prosecuting gang violence, along with this conviction, offers some solace to his family.”
