West St. Paul man pleads guilty to fatal shooting at south Minneapolis drive-thru, agrees to 38-year sentence
UPDATE (Nov. 21, 2021): Lionell Hicks was sentenced to 38.5 years in prison after the judge accepted the plea deal.
MINNEAPOLIS — Hennepin County prosecutors say a 32-year-old West St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to a fatal shooting outside a metro White Castle drive-thru two years ago.
On Thursday, the county attorney's office announced that Lionell Hicks pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the Aug. 15, 2021 shooting. In his guilty plea, he agreed to a 465-month prison sentence, which is nearly 39 years.
According to a criminal complaint, the shooting happened shortly before 2 a.m. in the drive-thru of the fast food establishment on Lake Street in Minneapolis. Witnesses reported that Hicks shot 32-year-old Tu'Quan Smith from the back of a Jeep as the victim drove by him in the drive-thru.
The two had exchanged words after the driver of the Jeep was asked to move to let other vehicles out of the drive-thru. According to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office, Smith died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the chest.
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"This was a callous, destructive act that brought unimaginable pain to the victim's family and my thoughts are with them today," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said after announcing the guilty plea. "Prioritizing community safety is paramount. Communities are suffering because there are too many guns in irresponsible hands that cause minor incidents to turn violent - and deadly - far too often. When necessary, we will use long prison sentences to protect the community and incapacitate those who commit this violence."
Surveillance video captured the shooting, and investigators found the Jeep after talking to one of its owners. Inside the vehicle they found Department of Corrections paperwork for Hicks, who was out of prison on parole.
Sentencing is set for Nov. 21.
