A 29 year-old man was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison for a deadly shooting last year at a central Lubbock motel.
Brian Anderson, who has been held at the Lubbock County Detention Center since his Feb. 23, 2024, arrest appeared in the 140th District Court with his attorney, Matt Morrow, and pleaded guilty to murder in the deadly shooting of 35-year-old Orion Akins at the Hub City Inn in the 5200 block of Avenue Q South Drive.
More: Warrant: Suspect in fatal Lubbock motel shooting acted out of fear
He was set to stand trial on April 21. Murder carries a punishment of five years to life in prison. However, he accepted the 30-year sentence offered by the Lubbock County District Attorney’s Office in exchange for his guilty plea.
Akins’ mother and step-father watched in court as Anderson entered his plea.
A deadly shooting at a Lubbock motel
His charge stems from a Lubbock Metropolitan Special Crimes Unit investigation that began Feb. 11, 2024 when police officers responded to a shots fired call about 8 p.m. at the inn.
Responding officers found Akins dead at the scene from a gunshot wound.
Witnesses at the scene told officers that Anderson, who was known as “Tray,” entered the room, drew a pistol when he saw Akins, shot him and ran away, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Investigators confirmed that “Tray” was Anderson and obtained a warrant to arrest him on a count of unlawful possession of a firearm.
Four days after the shooting, police officials issued a news release seeking the public’s help finding him.
Anderson was arrested in Anton and investigators spoke with him at the jail.
Anderson admitted to shooting Akins, saying the two of them had a previous altercation. He said Akins approached him at the motel and he felt “trapped in the room, which made him fearful,” the affidavit states.
However, Anderson said he never saw Akins with a weapon and none was recovered at the scene. There was also no evidence the two interacted at the inn before the shooting.
Anderson was later served with a warrant for murder at the jail.
He will have to serve half of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Man pleads guilty to murder, gets 30 years after deadly Lubbock motel shooting
Reporting by Gabriel Monte, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
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