On May 2, 2021, a weekend morning in Baldwin, Louisiana, turned tragic for 23-year-old Bryan Gibson Jr., an African American male. While he was simply filling his vehicle with gas on Main Street, his life was abruptly cut short in a senseless act of violence. Gibson was wounded when shots were fired in his direction and was rushed to a nearby hospital, but he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.
The investigation into the shooting quickly pointed to Anthony Quint 'RIP' Hills as
the primary suspect. Authorities issued a warrant for his arrest, and Hills, then 34, eventually surrendered to the Jeanerette Marshal's Office. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder, and his bail was set at one million dollars. The investigation also led to the arrest of a second individual, 50-year-old Roshonda Thomas of Franklin, Louisiana. Thomas was charged with being an accessory after the fact to second-degree murder.
The incident, which was captured on surveillance video, showed Hills standing across the street from the gas station and firing seven shots in the direction of the store. Two of these bullets struck Gibson. In a strange turn of events, Hills later sent multiple notarized letters claiming that Gibson was not his intended target and was hit by a stray bullet meant for someone else in the gas station parking lot. Despite this claim, a St. Mary Parish jury unanimously convicted Anthony Hills of second-degree murder after a three-day trial. The conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.
