A St. Landry Parish jury has convicted a Washington man in connection with a April 2023 shooting.
Nicholas Sam, 32, was found guilty of attempted second-degree murder, two counts attempted manslaughter, one count illegal use of a firearm and one count felon in possession of a firearm.
The shooting happened outside a fried chicken restaurant on West Landry Street in Opelousas. Surveillance video caught Sam running through a parking lot, dropping the magazine of his weapon, reloading the gun and chasing a car before firing it.
When the incident happened, police told us that Sam was an employee of the restaurant and fired shots at a vehicle driving away from the restaurant. The shooting happened after a female employee of the restaurant got into an argument with a woman who was in the car.
According to District Attorney Chad Pitre, Sam now faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of 50 years. Sentencing is set for January 8.
