PROSECUTOR: Principal Criminal Attorney Matt Chisholm, Homicide Unit
On April 5, 2024, Joshua Atkinson was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder. The jury also found true a personal use of a firearm causing death allegation and aggravating factors.
On August 16, 2021, several drivers called 911 to report a drive-by shooting on Elsie Avenue near the intersection of Stockton Boulevard. Twenty-year-old Tyree Scott was shot at seven times, with one fatal shot hitting him in the back of the head. Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies obtained surveillance video identifying a dark sedan as the suspect vehicle. All witnesses stated the suspect was shooting at the victim from the passenger side of the dark sedan. Surveillance video also showed Joshua Atkinson entering the passenger seat of the dark sedan minutes before the shooting and tracked the car up until the shooting. Across town, good Samaritans noticed something suspicious and called law enforcement to report a group of men removing the license plates from a dark sedan and covering it with a sheet. The Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, assisted by the Sacramento Police Department, setup surveillance on the sedan and detained individuals when they returned to the car. Joshua Atkinson was not present at that time. A 9mm pistol was found in the car and determined to be a ballistic match to the shell casings found at the crime scene. Atkinson was arrested the next day.
Atkinson faces a maximum sentence of 50 years to life in prison. Sentencing is set for May 31, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. in Department 21 before the Honorable Shelleyanne Chang.
