DALLAS - A Dallas County jury agreed on a life sentence for a man convicted of killing a 13-year-old boy in Pleasant Grove.
Datrail Clayton shot and killed Malik Tyler during a shootout outside a Bruton Road convenience store in 2019.
Tyler and his friends had stopped at the store to buy snacks on their way home from school. He started running when he heard the gunfire and was hit in the back.
On Friday, it took the jury about an hour to reach a guilty verdict.
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During the sentencing phase of the trial, jurors heard testimony from the 24-year-old convicted killer’s family and friends.
"I’m very sorry for what happened to that young boy," said Barbara Ann Williams, the woman who helped raise Clayton. "He acted out of instinct out of what came after him."
Clayton’s defense attorney tried to argue did not intend to kill Tyler and was defending himself during the shootout.
In addition to life in prison, he must also pay a $10,000 fine.