John (Big John) Holcomb was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Spalding County superior court Wednesday for the July 27, 2008 shooting death of Bruce Knowles. The shooting took place in the parking lot of the Griffin Moose Lodge. Holcomb got concurrent 10-year sentences on charges of felony involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault and another five years consecutive on one count of possession of a firearm during commission of a felony. Testimony at the trial indicated the shooter and his victim were friends. Knowles, a Barnesville native living in Pike County, attempted to stop Holcomb from riding his motorcycle because he felt Holcomb had had too much to drink. Holcomb claimed he fired two warning shots before shooting Knowles in the head. ‘If they had left me alone, I would have gone home and everything would have been alright,’ Holcomb testified. Holcomb operated a motorcycle shop in Zebulon and The Riverside Inn, a club just across the Pike County line in Meriwether County.
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