Man sentenced for shooting outside Brighton Heights funeral where 6 were hurt

A man will spend up to two decades behind bars for opening fire at a funeral in Brighton Heights in 2022.

Hezekiah Nixon was 16 when he and another teen were accused in the targeted incident outside the funeral of John Hornezes Jr., who was shot on Cedar Avenue and later died at a hospital.

Five people were shot outside the funeral and another was hurt while trying to escape.

Online court records show that Nixon, who was tried in adult court, pleaded guilty to eight charges on Tuesday, including aggravated assault, prohibited possession of a firearm, recklessly endangering another person and cruelty to animals. Several charges were withdrawn as a result of the plea, including attempted criminal homicide.

Nixon’s attorney, Casey White, tells Channel 11 that he was sentenced to 11-22 years.

Separately, Nixon and two others pleaded guilty to the August 2022 shooting death of Stephone Drayton back in June. He was supposed to receive his sentence for this case on the day the trial for the funeral shooting was set to begin.

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