FORT SMITH, Ark. — According to the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) Lee Breon King, 29, from Louisiana, entered a plea of no contest today in the 2021 shooting of Jake Myers and John Riggs.
Court records state Myers and Riggs had been driving along I-40 in Sequoyah County on the evening of July 17, 2021, when they saw a man walking near a vehicle stopped on the side of the road.
SCOS says the men decided to help the stranded driver, later identified as Lee King, by driving him to a gas station in Vian and buying him gasoline, and some water to drink. The two victims said during this interaction, something felt off.
"I was really uncomfortable," Riggs said. "There was just a dark feeling with this guy in the backseat."
They took King back to his car. Myers went to get the gas container out of their trunk, but the hatch was locked. That's when Riggs said he noticed King had a gun in the backseat and tried grabbing it from him. When Myers got back into the car, he said King started firing. Riggs was shot first.
"I knew that I was being shot," Riggs said. "I just couldn't feel it. I couldn't feel any pain or anything because I think my adrenaline had kicked in. My fight or flight had kicked in, and I'm just trying to survive."
Shortly after they left, 911 calls started coming in about two men who had been shot just a few miles away, SCSO said.
According to law enforcement, several people driving by on I-40, including a doctor, stopped to help the men until EMS arrived. Investigators say that Myers had been shot in the face and Riggs had been shot in the torso multiple times.
“The defendant’s violent and pointless actions caused these two men a lot of needless suffering. In addition to the shooting, they have had to undergo multiple surgeries to repair the damage done to them,” said District Attorney Jack Thorp. “I am very proud of the people in this community, and the others who were just passing through, who decided to stop and help these men.”
Investigators say King fled the scene before they arrived, but the vehicle he was driving was found the following morning by police officers in Antlers, Oklahoma after an attempted traffic stop led to a pursuit.
Although King managed to evade arrest at that time, police were able to secure the vehicle and recover evidence found inside.
According to court documents, King was found and arrested just a few days later, on July 22, 2021, after the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) received a tip with information about King’s location.
With assistance from the U.S. Marshal’s Office in Oklahoma City, and the North Texas Fugitive Task Force, King was arrested in Dallas, Texas.
King was charged in Sequoyah County with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of maiming, and one count of attempted robbery. He was sentenced to 35 years on each count of Assault and Battery with Deadly Weapon, and 10 years on the counts of Maiming and Attempted Robbery, with the sentences to run concurrently.
Under Oklahoma state law, with the violent crimes for which King is now convicted, he will be required to serve at least eighty-five percent (85%) of his sentence before he can be eligible for parole consideration.
“The teamwork and cooperation demonstrated by each of the agencies involved in this case is inspiring,” stated Thorp. “I am truly grateful that we can get justice for these two innocent victims,” said Thorp.
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