FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Wayne) – A man accused of robbery in November when a marijuana deal turned into a shootout in a Southtown Crossing Walmart parking lot will be sentenced to life in prison.
An Allen Superior Court judge on Tuesday suspended 26-year-old Khalil Hamilton for three years for his role in a shootout that left another man’s life in danger at the time.
Hamilton previously pleaded guilty to one count of robbery in connection with the shooting, which left police swarming the big-box store’s parking lot with vehicles and officers on Nov. 15 in the aftermath.
As part of his plea, the felony count of armed robbery that Hamilton faced was dismissed.
According to Allen Superior Court documents, Hamilton is accused of setting up a deal with another man, in which both men agreed to meet in a Walmart parking lot.
According to court documents, the transaction required Hamilton to pay the other man $1,000 for a quarter pound of marijuana and several marijuana documents. When they arrived at the parking lot, Hamilton got into the car with the man and the man’s brother to make the change.
But instead of handing over money, Hamilton is accused of pulling a gun, according to court documents.
He then allegedly ordered the two men to give him marijuana and cash before getting out of the car, according to court documents.
The man with whom Hamilton made the deal got out of the car and pulled out his own gun, according to court documents. Shots were exchanged and the man was eventually shot, according to court documents.
Hamilton fled the scene.
Arriving medical workers listed the shot man in life-threatening condition, but he was upgraded at a local hospital and ultimately survived, according to court documents.
During an interview with Fort Wayne police detectives, the man said he originally intended to buy marijuana from Hamilton when the robbery occurred.
Investigators used phone records showing messages exchanged between Hamilton and the man, as well as interviews with the man’s brother, and found that the transactions were reversed and that Hamilton had bought the items from the man. I was able to track it down.
Other than that detail, the man’s story was consistent.
He said in court documents that he was “shocked” by Hamilton as he robbed him and got out of the car where the transaction was supposed to take place. When the man got out of his car to confront Hamilton, Hamilton allegedly pointed a gun at him.
That’s when he fired at Hamilton, who fired back, according to court documents.
About a week after the shooting, police searched Hamilton’s car and found a bag containing 7.5 grams of marijuana stolen in the robbery, but no cash, according to court documents.
As part of his sentence, Hamilton was ordered to serve probation, submit to drug and mental health evaluations, and stay away from the man with whom he had arranged drug deals, according to court records.
The gun he was carrying on the day of the shooting will also be destroyed, according to court records.