On a late December night in 2016, a promising life was tragically cut short over a dispute that began with a simple act of courtesy. Andrew Spencer, a 30-year-old Black / African American male, was fatally shot on December 29, 2016, outside a QuikTrip gas station on Buford Highway in Chamblee, an Atlanta suburb. Spencer, an aspiring singer and songwriter, was with his friend, Quintin Heard, when the fatal encounter occurred.
Earlier that evening, Spencer and Heard had been at the Follies
strip club before stopping at the gas station just before 3:25 a.m. Inside the convenience store, a trivial misunderstanding set in motion a devastating chain of events. Spencer had noticed another man struggling to find hot dog buns and stepped in to help him. This seemingly innocent gesture was misinterpreted by Leroy Starr Copney Jr., a 49-year-old member of the "All Star Gangstas," a subset of the Bloods criminal street gang. An argument ensued between Spencer and Copney.
Following the verbal altercation, Copney exited the store, retrieved a handgun from a gray or green Maserati Quattroporte, and waited for Spencer and Heard to emerge. As they walked out, Copney confronted them, asking, "What's poppin'?" a phrase often used to inquire about gang affiliation. Despite Spencer not being a gang member, Copney opened fire, shooting at both men. Spencer was struck in the chest. Heard, who was unharmed, rushed back to his friend's side, holding him in his arms as he took his last breath. Emergency medical personnel pronounced Spencer dead at the scene.
The investigation that followed led police to identify Copney as the shooter and Jilani Ade Bakhari, the owner of the Maserati, as his accomplice. Both men were known to have extensive criminal histories and ties to the Bloods gang in New York. On February 17, 2017, Copney was apprehended in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. At the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of an AK-47. Bakhari's role was identified through the arrest warrant which stated he used a key fob to unlock his Maserati, allowing Copney to retrieve the murder weapon.
In December 2021, Leroy Starr Copney Jr. was brought to justice for the senseless killing of Andrew Spencer. During his trial, Copney claimed that Heard had threatened him with a gun, a statement that was disproven by video surveillance footage of the incident. A DeKalb County jury found Copney guilty of murder, felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, criminal gang activity, and weapons offenses. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 55 years.
