Lawrence Wicks was found guilty as charged of Shooting at, within, or into, a Private or Public
Building following a two-day trial in Charlotte County.
On January 2, 2019 the defendant discharged a Glock 9mm handgun 14 times from the enclosed
back lanai of the house he and his elderly mother rented. All but one of the bullets hit the wall of
a neighbor’s house. One bullet struck a couch at the neighbor’s house two people were sitting on.
Luckily they were not injured.
The defendant’s mother called 911 and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office arrived and set up a
perimeter. After a brief standoff the defendant exited the rear lanai of the house with a loaded 12
gauge shotgun. After raising the shotgun twice at the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office
helicopter, he complied with orders to drop the weapon, and was taken into custody. Wicks had a
fully loaded Glock 9mm handgun in his pocket along with a partially loaded spare magazine.
Assistant State Attorney Scott Patterson prosecuted the case. Wicks faces up to 15 years in
prison. Sentencing is scheduled for April 24th.
Samantha Syoen
Communications Director
State Attorney’s Office
ssyoen@sao20.org
239-533-1125