ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – An Abilene teen has been sentenced for shooting a victim in the head during a drive-by near Cobb Park in 2019.

Mathieu Kanyabitabo received a 9 year prison sentence Friday after giving an open plea to Aggravated Assault and Theft in connection to an incident that happened at Cobb Park in north Abilene in March 2019.

Court documents state that after leaving Cobb Park, the victim stopped at a home on the 800 block of Forrest Avenue, where a random vehicle pulled up and a suspect, later identified as Kanyabitabo, brandished a gun out the passenger window and opened fire. Witnesses report hearing at least 5 to 6 gunshots. 

The victim fled the scene and realized he had been shot when he felt blood on his head, according to the documents. He was then hospitalized and has since been treated and released. 

One of the witnesses saw the shooter and identified him as ‘Big Homie’.

Detectives were able to identify Kanyabitabo as ‘Big Homie’ through social media, and the witness confirmed he was the shooter after being shown a photograph line-up. 

No further information has been released.