Man sentenced to eight years in prison for road rage killing

A Gainesville man who shot into a car killing the driver and missing a young child was sentenced to eight years in prison. Brad Lippincott pleaded guilty to manslaughter and discharging a firearm from a vehicle, according to a report by News4Jax. Manslaughter is a first degree felony with a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and shooting a firearm from a vehicle is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. As part of the plea agreement, the state dropped a charge of shooting or throwing deadly missiles, another second-degree felony, so Lippincott had been looking at a total of up to 60 years in prison on the Jacksonville Gun Crimes charges. Lippincott and another man got into an argument during a traffic incident and Lippincott fired seven times into the car that a 33-year-old man was driving with his 8-year-old daughter in the car, the television station reported. Lippincott’s criminal defense attorney had argued he was in fear for his life and shot in self-defense, but police said the victim was driving away when Lippincott fired, the television station reported.

Jacksonville Gun Crimes have serious implications, and this Jacksonville Road Rage Case shows how quickly things can escalate and how lives can change in an instant. Lippincott, 31, did not have a criminal record before this incident, but could have been looking at spending the rest of his of his life in prison. The sentence seems to indicate that both parties were involved in the escalation of the fight, though there is no indication that the victim fired a weapon in this Jacksonville Gun Crimes case. Had prosecutors chosen to do so, they could have even filed a minimum mandatory sentence under Florida’s 10-20-Life law that could have exposed Lippincott to life in prison because he used a firearm and shot another person. But, if the state charged it that way, the case would have likely gone to trial because if a defendant is looking at a life sentence for even entering a plea, he or she is usually far more likely to go to trial because there’s nothing to lose. Most Jacksonville Guns Crimes cases do carry minimum mandatory sentences and, more often than not, prosecutors are reluctant to waive them. This Jacksonville Guns Crimes Case is more the exception than the rule, but our Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney examines every case individually and will thoroughly investigate the charge against you or your loved one to help you decide what to do going forward.

If you or a loved one needs a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our Jacksonville Gun Crimes Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.