NEWNAN, Ga. — [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
A Coweta County jury has convicted a man accused of walking into a plant manager’s office at a Newnan manufacturing facility and shooting him three times in an attempted killing.
Prosecutors said Sylvester Florence Jr., 49, entered the office at Global Powertrain Systems on July 6, 2023, and fired several shots from a .32-caliber revolver, hitting the victim in the neck, abdomen and hip.
Despite his injuries, the plant manager fought back and managed to escape to another office, where coworkers rendered first aid.
A plant manager identified Florence as the shooter during a 911 call, leading to a response from the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team for an active shooter situation.
Investigators said surveillance video captured Florence calmly walking away from the office after the shooting before leaving the facility on a pink motorcycle.
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Newnan police later stopped and arrested Florence. Officers recovered the revolver used in the shooting, more than two grams of methamphetamine and a glass smoking pipe, according to prosecutors.
During an interview with investigators, Florence confessed to shooting the victim and said he was high on methamphetamine at the time of the attack.
On Aug. 26, a jury found Florence guilty of attempted murder, aggravated assault, possession of methamphetamine, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Because of eight prior felony convictions, a judge sentenced Florence to 53 years in prison without the possibility of parole under Georgia’s recidivist statute.
“Thank God this victim survived this shooting and that Florence will never leave prison again,” District Attorney John H. Cranford, Jr., said in a statement following the verdict.
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