On September 13, 2009, 19-year-old Michael Hanley was shot during a confrontation at the Shell station at Broadway and New Circle Road in Lexington, Kentucky. Hanley was taken to the University of Kentucky Hospital and later died of his wound.

Investigators identified 24-year-old William S. Thornton as the shooter; an arrest warrant was issued and Thornton was charged with murder. Witnesses including a cousin who was at the scene described Hanley arguing with a stranger after leaving the store, the dispute becoming physical before the fatal gunshot. Prosecutors later reported evidence that Hanley had been the initial aggressor and had used racial slurs; Hanley also had Ku Klux Klan and swastika tattoos. Those facts were cited in plea negotiations.

Thornton pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter; charges for being a persistent felony offender and for being a felon in possession of a handgun were dropped. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and apologized to Hanley’s family at sentencing. Does anyone have additional details about the confrontation or who else was at the scene?