Gas Station Shooter Gets 19 Years

Matthew Hamby, who pleaded no contest last week to a robbery with a firearm causing great bodily injury charge, was sentenced to 19 years in state prison for shooting a gas station cashier during a robbery in May.

Video surveillance at the Mobil gas station at Hollister Avenue and Turnpike Road captured the shooting, and distinctive tattoos on Hamby’s neck combined with an anonymous tip led authorities to the 25-year-old suspect, who was on parole. He was arrested two days after the incident.

The video showed Hamby taking an undisclosed amount of money from the cashier before shooting the defenseless man, who later recovered from his injuries. “The robbery and assault were clearly the intention of the defendant when he went to the Mobil station to steal money,” prosecutor Hilary Dozer said after the sentencing.

Hamby, who will serve 85 percent of his sentence, also received two strikes, which means if he receives another he would face life in prison.