First of two brothers convicted in attempted murder case

A jury convicted the first of two brothers charged with attempted murder of a 32-year-old man during an Abbeville shooting.

Lidge Cooper faces 20 years to life in prison for serving as the driver in the shooting.

Assistant District Attorney David Atwell said the jury found Cooper guilty of the class A felony even though evidence showed he never fired a shot. Cooper, 25, of Henry County Road 43, was charged with felony shooting into an unoccupied building, but the judge dismissed the charge because the shots were fired into an unoccupied vehicle, not building.

Atwell said evidence in the case showed Cooper’s younger brother, Allen Cooper, 23, was the gunman in the shooting. He said the only person injured in the shooting was Allen Cooper, who suffered a single gunshot wound after the man in the car returned fire in the shooting.

“They followed the victim down to his house, Allen Cooper got out of his vehicle and fired a 12-gauge shotgun at the man,” Atwell said. “He ducked behind his car and started returning fire. Allen was hit in the leg.”

Abbeville police investigated the shooting, which happened on Nov. 19, 2006, on Bland Avenue.

Atwell said Lidge Cooper was charged as an accessory because he drove them down there knowing the weapon was in the car.

“I argued to the jury you don’t carry a shotgun around like this for bird hunting,” Atwell said. He said the shotgun also had a pistol-style grip on it.

Lidge Cooper will be sentenced on Feb. 4, 2009, in front of Circuit Court Judge Butch Binford. Lidge Cooper’s defense lawyer, Gwen DaGian, declined to comment.

Allen Cooper has also been charged with felony attempted murder and felony shooting into an unoccupied vehicle. His charges are still pending.

Cooper’s cousin, Christopher Newsome, 27, pleaded guilty last month to felony shooting into an unoccupied vehicle. Newsome was sentenced to 10 years in prison as part of the plea, but he has a probation hearing next month, according to court records. Atwell said evidence showed Newsome ran from the vehicles after shooting started.