Florida Men Plead Guilty to Charges Related to Drive-by-Shooting That Left 11 Wounded

Florida Men Plead Guilty to Charges Related to Drive-by-Shooting That Left 11 Wounded
A tinted four-door sedan pulls up near an intersection in Lakeland where people were milling about, and people from inside the vehicle started shooting in all directions, in Lakeland, Fla., on Jan. 30, 2023, in a still from video. (Lakeland Police Department via AP/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)
The Associated Press
10/21/2023
Updated:
10/21/2023

LAKELAND, Fla.—Two men have pleaded guilty to charges related to a drive-by-shooting in central Florida that left 11 people wounded earlier this year, federal authorities said Wednesday.

Nicholas Hanson and Marcus Mobley have pleaded guilty to possessing ammunition and possessing a firearm and ammunition as convicted felons. They could be sentenced to 15 years in prison at a later sentencing hearing, federal prosecutors said in a news release.

Eleven men were wounded in January when a four-door sedan pulled up near an intersection in Lakeland, Florida, where people were milling about. People from inside the vehicle started shooting in all directions. Only a minute earlier, a school bus had dropped off children in the Lakeland neighborhood, authorities said.

According to prosecutors, Mr. Mobley owned the vehicle, and DNA samples from both men were recovered from spent shell casings found at the scene. Both men had prior felony convictions and were prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition, prosecutors said.

Lakeland is located about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of Tampa.