METAIRIE, La. — A Metairie man was sentenced to life in prison for shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend with a military-style rifle, according to the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office.
Arnold Magee, 37, was charged with second-degree murder last month for killing Kawana Tibbit, 27, on July 2, 2020. The shooting happened at an apartment in the 4100 block of Hessmer Avenue. Officers said the two had been arguing and finally separated after their five-year relationship.
Authorities said Magee became angry when Tibbit got a call from a new boyfriend as she was getting her things out of the apartment. Tibbit's boyfriend overheard Magee's anger and headed over, but when he arrived she was dead, the DA's Office said.
Surveillance video shows the shooting, "I watched you walk around like this was Beirut, like this was a war-torn country," Judge Donnie Rowan said.
Tibbit ran to her car when Magee grabbed a Bushmaster XM15-E2S rifle and fired two shots at her car. The first bullet hit a parked van nearby, but the second bullet struck Tibbet in the arm, causing massive internal damage.
Tibbet still tried to get away and drove across Hessmer Avenue to another apartment building when she ran into a parked car and died on the scene.
Magee's attorney argued that he acted in self-defense, but jurors rejected his claim and found him guilty for Tibbet's murder on Feb. 22.
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