Driver behind murder of T.I.’s friend, Philant Johnson, sentenced to prison

<p><a class=”wiki” href=”image-1” rel=”“>image-1</a> </p> <p> When T.I.’s long-time friend and personal assistant Philant Johnson was killed in 2006, the Atlanta rapper was distraught to say the least. </p> <p> T.I. - now serving a 366 day sentence in Arkansas - and his entourage, including Johnson, were involved in a shooting after leaving a nightclub in Cincinnati in early May 2006. </p> <p> Padron Thomas, the man who drove the vehicle from which the deadly shots were fired, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison. </p> <p> From the <a class=”wiki external” target=”_blank” href=”http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_RAP_SHOOTING_TI?SITE=FLROC&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT” rel=”external”>Associated Press</a>: </p> <p> Forty-one-year-old Padron Thomas told a judge he’s a “knucklehead” and wishes he could take back what he did. He was sentenced Wednesday on gun charges and unrelated federal drug charges. </p> <p> <br /> He testified in December against his younger brother, who was sentenced to 66 years in prison for shooting Philant Johnson in May 2006 after a T.I. concert in Cincinnati. </p> <p> <br /> Three others were injured in the shooting. The Grammy-winning Atlanta rapper wasn’t hurt. </p> <p> <br /> In exchange for his testimony, Thomas received a reduced sentence for his involvement in a drug ring that shipped marijuana from California to Cincinnati. </p>

<p> (Photo by Crickontour/Flickr) </p>