Man Sentenced For 2021 Mount Hope Drive-By Shooting

SAN DIEGO, CA — A man convicted of carrying out a deadly drive-by shooting in the Mount Hope neighborhood was sentenced last week to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Anthony Goodrich Austin Jr., 44, was found guilty by a San Diego jury of first-degree murder and a special circumstance allegation of firing a gun from a vehicle in connection with the Aug. 30, 2021, shooting of Arthur Williams.

Police found Williams, 51, in a car on Gateway Center Way with a gunshot wound about 12:30 p.m. He was hospitalized and died nearly a month later of his injuries.

According to San Diego police Lt. Andra Brown, Williams was sitting in his vehicle near Dennis Allen Memorial Park when a driver in an SUV pulled alongside his car and opened fire.

Prosecutors allege Williams' killing was sparked by a separate murder in El Cajon, which led to a schism among members of a local gang.

Austin was among those who sought retaliation for the El Cajon murder and targeted Williams, who was a close associate of the alleged gunman in the El Cajon killing, according to Deputy District Attorney Will Hopkins.

Austin was identified as Williams' killer through witness accounts and cell phone records that placed him at the scene, according to the prosecutor.

Austin was arrested on March 24, 2022, at his Raven Street home, located a few blocks away from the scene of the shooting.

— City News Service