A Manatee County jury April 17 found Nicholas Koontz of Bradenton guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in a 2021 shooting.
Sentencing is to come.
Koontz, 25, fatally shot Timothy Andricks, 31, of Bradenton, near a stop sign at Seventh Avenue West and 50th Court West in Bradenton after Andricks approached Koontz’s vehicle.
Koontz and Andricks, who did not know one another, were involved in a road-rage altercation, according to an April 18 news release from 12th Circuit State Attorney Ed Brodsky’s office.
During the altercation, Andricks threw a paper McDonald’s cup containing ice and soda at Koontz’s vehicle.
Koontz then followed Andricks at a high rate of speed until they came to a stop in a residential neighborhood.
Andricks exited his car.
Koontz then exited his car and shot Andricks several times.
Koontz, who left the scene and did not call 911, was arrested shortly after the shooting by Manatee County sheriff’s deputies and charged with second-degree murder.
The trial was April 15-17 at the Manatee County Judicial Center in Bradenton with 12th Circuit Judge Frederick P. Mercurio presiding.
Attorney Roger Futerman represented Koontz and assistant State Attorney Rebecca Louise Freel served as the lead prosecutor.
The jury found Koontz, who claimed he was acting in self-defense, guilty of manslaughter with a firearm, a first-degree felony that can result in up to 30 years in prison, 30 years of probation and a fine of up to $10,000.
Freel, in the news release, said, “The retaliatory actions taken by this defendant in murdering this victim over a minor dispute cannot be tolerated in our community.”
She continued, “We appreciate the hard work of the homicide detectives with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office in this investigation as well as the time and attention given to the case by the jury.”
Andricks was raised in Anna Maria with three siblings, Barry, Dusty and Trey.