Michael Sean Conner, Attempted Carjacking Shooting, GA 2024

Michael Sean Conner, 28, of Hixon, Tennessee, is headed to federal prison for 28 years after a brutal attempted carjacking in Adairsville, Georgia, where he shot a sleeping man in the chest, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. The sentencing, handed down in Rome, Georgia, ensures Conner will serve the federal term consecutively to a prior seven-year sentence for a separate carjacking in Tennessee—locking him away for a total of 35 years.

The attack occurred on May 7, 2018, at a gas station where the victim, a young man driving home to Florida after a wedding, had stopped to rest. Conner, accompanied by two women—Kristy Lynn Davis, 38, of Summerville, Georgia, and Destany Schubert, 22, of Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia—pulled alongside the truck, approached the driver’s side, and demanded the vehicle at gunpoint. When the victim began rolling up his window, Conner fired, striking him in the chest before fleeing the scene.

U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak condemned the act as “senseless and depraved,” emphasizing that Conner’s complete disregard for human life warranted the lengthy sentence. “His callous disregard for the lives of others justifies the very lengthy prison sentence he received in this case,” Pak said. Federal, state, and local agencies collaborated to bring Conner to justice within hours of the Georgia crime—after he was arrested for another armed carjacking in Tennessee.

Arthur Peralta, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Atlanta, stated, “Mr. Conner’s sentence can never fully account for the suffering he inflicted on his victims.” The Adairsville Police Department, Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and ATF worked in tandem to investigate and prosecute the case. GBI Director Vic Reynolds underscored the importance of interagency cooperation: “This sentence is the result of an effective partnership between our local and federal agencies.”

Adairsville Chief of Police Mike Jones expressed sorrow over the crime occurring in his city but commended the joint efforts that led to justice. “I am thankful for the resources provided to us by the GBI, ATF, and U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Jones said. Davis and Schubert both pleaded guilty to acting as accessories. Davis was sentenced on August 13, 2020, to three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Schubert received one year and six months in prison, plus three years of supervised release, on June 19, 2020.

Conner pleaded guilty to the federal carjacking charge and was sentenced to 28 years in federal custody, followed by three years of supervised release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine M. Hoffer prosecuted the case. For more information, contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.

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