Raleigh man sentenced to life in prison without parole for fatally shooting 20-year-old

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- On Friday, Chad Copley was sentenced to life in prison without parole for fatally shooting 20-year-old Kouren Thomas.

A jury on Thursday found the Raleigh homeowner guilty of first-degree murder.

READ MORE: Jury finds Raleigh homeowner guilty in killing of 20-year-old

The jury's decision was unanimous. The jury deliberated for less than two hours.

Copley was indicted in 2016 by a Wake County Grand Jury on murder charges after police said he fatally shot Thomas on August 7, 2016.

Authorities said Copley fired a shotgun from inside the garage of his house on Singleleaf Lane in Raleigh and hit Thomas, who later died at a hospital.

Initial reports state Copley claimed he was shooting at "hoodlums on his street."

READ MORE: Raleigh man accused of murder says he was protecting his home