VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) — A Valdosta resident with a lengthy violent criminal history, convicted of illegally possessing a firearm, was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison for his crime in a case involving the shooting of a homeless man protecting his animal from dog-fighting.
Aaron Lewis Green, Jr., 39, of Valdosta, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison, the statutory maximum, to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Hugh Lawson on Wednesday, after he was found guilty of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon following a two-day trial in June. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Violent offenders in illegal possession of guns who terrorize our communities will face federal prosecution and lengthy prison sentences,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Law enforcement at every level across the Middle District of Georgia are working together to hold repeat violent offenders accountable when they break the law.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in the early morning of April 29, 2018, several concerned citizens called 911 to report gunshots coming from Green’s residence on Sandy Run Drive. Green had earlier invited a homeless couple living in their truck with their Rottweiler to park at his home.
When the couple came to his residence, Green made several requests to the man to allow the dogs to fight. At one point, Green directed his wife to let the couple’s Rottweiler out of the homeless couple’s vehicle. A heated argument ensued around 4:25 a.m. when the man refused Green’s insistence that the dogs fight.
Green pulled a loaded pistol from his waistband and fired several shots at the man, striking him multiple times in his upper torso. Green threatened the victim’s girlfriend as she attempted to load the victim into their vehicle.
Once the couple arrived at the hospital, the victim was rushed into surgery and treated for gunshot wounds.
Officers arrested Green outside of a Valdosta church, where he was found lying on the ground.
At the time of his arrest, Green was armed with a knife and a semi-automatic pistol with a round in the chamber.
Green admitted that the weapon was the firearm he used to shoot the homeless man.
