Piedmont man receives 25-year prison sentence for deadly 2019 shooting

PIEDMONT, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - A man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a deadly shooting that happened in 2019, according to the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s office.

According to the solicitor, the shooting happened on January 28, 2019 at a house on Thomas Road. The solicitor says 34-year-old Marcus Pierre Kirk died in the house after he was hit by a bullet that was fired from a passing car that Bright and three co-defendants were riding in.

Three shell casings were found in the roadway in front of Kirk’s house, and the size indicated that two different weapons were used during the shooting.

According to the solicitor, 26-year-old Tyler Bright pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, two counts of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Investigators with the sheriff’s office determined that 27-year-old Matthew Blackwell fired the deadly bullet.

Blackwell pleaded guilty in August 2021 and received a 38-year prison sentence, according to the solicitor’s office.

The solicitor says 32-year-old Bobby Hank Wright pleaded guilty in February and received a 25-year prison sentence, and charges are pending for a fourth suspect.

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