A Randall County jury convicted Lawrence Scott Johnston of murdering Christopher Copeland, the Amarillo neighbor who once helped a police officer, and he got 50 years.

Prosecutors told this jury that Copeland was watering plants when his neighbor went upstairs, loaded a gun and fired nine times. Six rounds hit him. The jury had a punishment range from five years to life and chose 50. Three years ago Copeland stepped into a struggle over a police officer's gun and was honored for it. This time no one was there to step in for him. An appeal is the path left for Johnston.

A Randall County jury found Lawrence Scott Johnston guilty of first-degree murder Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in the shooting death of Christopher Scott Copeland, the Randall County District Attorney's Office said, as reported Monday, Oct. 19, by KFDA NewsChannel 10. The verdict came after a five-day jury trial. ABC 7 Amarillo reported Johnston was sentenced to 50 years in prison. ABC 7 Amarillo reported he had been eligible for five to 99 years or life.

The shooting happened July 8, 2025, in the courtyard of an Amarillo apartment building, KFDA reported. ABC 7 Amarillo placed the police investigation in the 3400 block of Janet Street. Johnston and Copeland were neighbors who lived on separate floors, according to the district attorney's office. Prosecutors said Copeland was watering plants in the courtyard when Johnston went upstairs, loaded his firearm and began shooting. The district attorney's office said Johnston fired nine times and that six of the shots hit Copeland. ABC 7 Amarillo reported Copeland was 54.

During the punishment phase, jurors heard testimony about what Copeland's death has meant to his family, KFDA reported, citing District Attorney Love. The outlets did not report whether Johnston testified, what his defense argued at trial, or whether he plans to appeal.

Copeland had been in the news before. In 2023 he intervened when a suspect grabbed an Amarillo police officer's gun during a struggle in an alley, ABC 7 Amarillo reported, and helped the officer, whom the station identified as Officer Steven Kennedy, regain control of the weapon and hold the suspect until other officers arrived. KFDA reported the officer was grazed by a shot in that struggle. ABC 7 Amarillo reported Copeland later received the Carnegie Medal for his actions. Friday's verdict is a jury's finding after a full trial. Before it, Johnston was entitled to the same presumption as any other accused person. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.