LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two men are behind bars after being accused of shooting a 19-year-old for his winning lottery ticket two weeks ago near Churchill Downs.
One minute the man was on top of the world, and minutes later he was undergoing surgery at University Hospital and one of the suspects was trying to cash the lottery ticket.
"I was on the phone, somebody came up behind me, grabbed me and shot me for the ticket," the victim said.
He was on the phone talking to his mother.
It began at a convenience store on Taylor Boulevard earlier this month where the 19-year-old bought a $5 Win Win Win scratch-off ticket. The ticket was worth $1,000.
"We told him you have to sign behind the ticket. He signed behind the ticket. After that he left," store owner Mehr Dad.
After leaving the store the victim called his mom to tell her the good news.
"I was excited," Patricia Manning said. "(Then) I heard the gunshot."
Two shots were fired, with one striking her son in the side. Doctors had to remove his spleen. The store owner said one of his regular customers was in line.
"Actually he was standing in the line when he say he won $1,000 and I believe his partner was sitting in the car and they followed him," Dad said.
Metro police said James Watts, 40, is the man, who was standing in line. Watts is accused of trying to cash the winning ticket at other lottery outlets. He's charged with facilitation to commit a robbery.
Andrel Page, 21, is accused in the shooting. Page is facing robbery and assault charges.
"It should at least be attempted murder. I was unarmed and (he) shot me in the back," the victim said.
"I'm never going to forget that phone call. And I know he's never going to forget the day he got shot," Manning said.
Bond for Page was set at $50,000 and Watts is being held on a $5,000 bond. Both are due back in court on March 4.
Police said that although both admitted to their involvement in the shooting, they are still searching for a third suspect.
The victim was able to get his $1,000 in lottery winnings despite losing the ticket.
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Thanks to Bluegrass for the tip.
Sad. Watch what you do today and what you say and who you tell things to like this.
When you think you can be comfortable and happy in your own space, someone is probably watching you waiting for
a chance to take it away. The world has become a sad place and I don't expect it to get better anytime soon. No morals,
respect and not much is taboo anymore. I'm sorry this happened to this kid, it was his and someone needed to take it
from him. I see the lottery paid him for it? That's good. I hope he recovers quickly.
The ones that shot him should be shot and say now how does that feel !!
Old saying a tooth for a tooth.
You aren't safe any place anymore.
It is a sad and sick world out there
May they rot in prison !!!!
If they'll shoot ya for a lousy thousand bucks, imagine what they'd do if you win a big jackpot.
I hope the victim recovers fully.
Love the mean mugging mug shot. Real tuff.
Lousy thousand bucks? A pizza guy was robbed by a bunch guys with guns, for his pizza. They took the bag of pizza and ran. They never bothered to take his money. I guess that a bag of pizza is more valuable than money. Dumb knuckleheads!!!.
Never purchase a scratch ticket and then scratch it there at the store. I remember not too long ago I was at a local fast food convenience store where I purchased a Powerball ticket. I had made a mistake on one of the numbers and was asking for help with one of the clerks there to correct it when someone who looked like one of the guys in this article that was apprehended. This guy asked me " Did you win? " I said " No " When you purchase a lottery scratch ticket, don't scratch your ticket in the store. Ever since that incident with my lottery ticket, I don't purchase my lottery tickets at a convenience store.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery & congratulations on the win
If you don't scratch your tickets where you buy them and take them home, you will buy less and save $$$
I buy one $5 ticket and bring it home to scratch. If it wins, great, if not, I'm not at the store to buy more!
Both criminals probably have rap sheets. This is not their first crime. Using a fire arm to commit a crime will get you five years in most States.
On the news just now they're looking for a third perpetrator. I don't know about other states, but many of these rap sheets here are incredibly long. WTG Derby City!
They did this for $1000? There are some crazy people out there. State laws should give people the right to remain anonymous. It can be very dangerous for winners to be identified, people can be like vultures when big bucks are involved.
This so sad....Just think how in some states you can't be animosity.
Countless lottery winners targeted by criminals, sad trend.
Hoping for a speedy recovery for you young man
. I hope these thugs serve a long time in jail. Glad the lottery Commission went ahead and paid the young man. 
Larry Felton, Jr. (sure his Dad is proud) has been arrested as the getaway driver. The folks from the Kentucky Lottery Commission are very nice people, love their large booth @ the KY State Fair every August.
Too bad those thugs most likely won't go to the Eddyville Prison Complex with the lifers there.
Quick recovery to this innocent young man.
SERIOUS BUSINESS
I couldn't have said it better, myself. This has been turning into a crummy world.
Now, these two black boys want to take the young man's 1000 dollars.
So Thankful
I'm thankful, for never yet having been in a similar situation, involving a gun, though about 30 years ago, when those 25¢ video games were around, I was playing my silly game (I forget what it was, "Gorf", or "Space Mongrels", or something, and a guy sanding right behind me (who was a known drug dealer), and next thing you know, he had a gun pulled on him, by an under-cover cop. I was like WOW! Afterwards, I was like "I can't believe that happened", etc.
Another time, I heard gun shots from the highway, a little distance from the shopping center to which we were headed. We were driving the big truck at that time.
So, you, me and EVERYONE should maybe get in the habit of singing to ourselves the old hymn "Nearer my God, to thee", as we never know when something may happen, and we're shot in the back of the head. I think about that sort of possibility happening to me ALL THE TIME, while I'm out and about.
It could be some nut hanging out in the woods, with a scope on his hunting rifle.
Because to some, people are in season, year-round.
Wishing the young man a quick recovery.
(you mean "Nearer my God to thee", like they sang on the "Titanic?"
yes, like on the "Titanic".)
And unfortunately, Mr./Ms. HoLeeKau,
This unfortunate incident is just going to be rolled up into one of thousands upon thousands, like a grain of sand, in a bucket.
And, on the CNN forum, some time ago, there were still people that would tell you that things are getting better. BUT, like the original poster in this forum, and like yourself, we all believe things all over are
FALLING APART, not getting better.
For $1000?
"State laws should give people the right to remain anonymous."
You're so obsessed with lottery anonymity, you apply it to everything even when it's unrelated. It also shows ignorance of collecting lottery winnings.
Apparently the robber didn't know he couldn't easily cash a ticket signed by some else either. The KY Lottery and the store clerk didn't identify the ticket holder, the crook was standing behind him in line. For cashing prizes over $600, the KY lottery has Cashing Agents in each county and the store clerk told the winner to sign the back of the ticket and probably sent him to a Cashing Agent.
It's becoming the Wild, Wild West out there anymore! That poor kid! Disgusting thugs!!
In 2003, I was on my way to a casino (what a surprise) and stopped halfway there at a gas station/convenience store to fill up my tank and get some coffee. The lottery was fairly new then, so I bought ten $5 scratch-offs with some of the money I had brought with me to play with at the casino. Got back in the car, scratched the very first one and it was a $500 winner!
I was stunned for like 10 minutes, just sitting there in disbelief, checking it over and over. Then I started my car and headed directly back home, because I figured I had actually won $750 (a $500 scratch-off and the $250 left in my wallet that I didn't lose at the casino)!
Cashed it in the next day at a store near me. I called and talked to the manager before I went there. I told him that I had a winning $500 scratch off ticket and would they have enough cash in the till to pay me. He said no, he would not give me cash. He said that their policy was to issue a Western Union money order because it was safer for anything over $200. Smart man. He even let me keep the ticket after he gave me the money order!
This is sad. I wonder if Al Sharpton has anything to say about this?
I would rather mail my winnings in and pay the extra money. I know it's a risk but you really have sick people in this world. I don't even want people to know I won $10 on a scratch off ticket.
You made a good point Majestic1070.
Sad
Unfortunately it wouldn't have mattered in this case he announced it to the store ,but dang it was only a grand, I guess people out there are that shady
Wow so you got the ticket AND the money order. I would have rather taken the cash myself, money orders are harder to cash lol I still would have hit that casino as well
A few years ago, I won $400 on a Powerball with Powerplay. My plan was to go to buy a money order with it because I didn't want to carry around all that cash. The store employee told me if they don't have the money for it, they give a money order free or charge for the amount. She had to call her manager to figure out how to do it because it rarely happens.
Since then, for big wins, I usually go to a supermarket because they tend to have more cash on hand than a convenience store does. I also don't scratch my tickets in the store. Sometimes I'll scratch them in the car and if I win, I'll usually go cash them the next day. Yesterday I bought a scratcher at a convenience store and won $10. Cashed it today when I went to get my Sunday paper and my Powerball/Lotto/Easy 5 tickets for this week's drawings like I do every Sunday.