A 20-year-old Fort Myers man faces up to 75 years in prison after a Lee County jury found him guilty of attempted second-degree murder Thursday.
According to the Office of the State Attorney, 20th Judicial Circuit Court, Justus D. Pierce had been stalking two young men in April 2017.
He drove by the men's home off of Hancock Bridge Parkway and saw both victims outside, the office reported in a release Friday afternoon. Pierce flashed a gun at them as he drove by. He drove by a second time and pointed a gun at them.
He drove by a third time and fired several shots at them. One victim ran; the other got in a car and drove away. Pierce chased the driver around the city, and the driver called 911.
Police eventually apprehended Pierce.
According to a probable cause affidavit, one of the victim's told police he believed there had been a "hit" for $700 put out on him because he was a "snitch." Pierce and the victim didn't like each other.
After reading Pierce his Miranda rights, the affidavit indicates that Pierce admitted owning an assault weapon and a .45-caliber handgun. He was driving around with his girlfriend on April 25, 2017, when he saw one of the victims walking.
He said the victim saw him, and the victim started to pull a handgun out of his waistband. Pierce feared he would be shot. He drove around, and saw the second victim, who appeared to point a "Draco" at him. A Draco is a shortened AK-47, the police report explained.
Pierce drove around, then saw the two victims together. He fired one shot at the first victim. That victim fled, and Pierce told police he fired at least another five shots at him. Police asked what his intent was, he said "I have been trained. When I shoot, I shoot to kill."
The jury found Pierce guilty of two counts of attempted second-degree murder and one count of shooting at/into a building or an occupied vehicle. The jury had deliberated for an hour, the release indicates.
He remains in Lee County Jail, where he had been held without bond.
Pierce had been arrested and accused of aggravated battery in January 2016, he also was arrested and accused of carrying a concealed weapon in August 2015. He had bonded out of jail after those instances, records indicate.