Abita Springs man sentenced to 40 years in prison for manslaughter in 2022

ABITA SPRINGS, La. (WGNO) — An Abita Springs man was sentenced to 40 years in prison Monday, July 1, after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and obstruction of justice in a 2022 case surrounding the death of 30-year-old John McIntyre.

According to District Attorney Collin Sims, deputies from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a home in Abita Springs regarding a shooting that occurred around midnight on August 30, 2022.

At the scene, officers found McIntyre with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper chest, abdomen and right arm. McIntyre was reportedly still awake when officers arrived and were able to tell that “Dain McCann” had shot him. McIntyre lost consciousness and later died from his injuries.

Court documents state that one of McIntyre's family members approached police about two hours later and told them she believed she saw McCann on the porch of a nearby home. When officers arrived at the home, they found a man on the porch who initially identified himself as “Devin,” but later revealed himself to be McCann.

Prosecutors said McCann later admitted to shooting McIntyre and that the victim “approached him aggressively with a metal object in his hand, accusing McCann of owing him money,” prompting McCann to shoot McIntyre three to four times in self-defense. Court documents say McCann later recounted that statement and acknowledged that McIntyre was unarmed when he was shot.

When asked where the handgun used to shoot McIntyre was, McCann allegedly admitted to throwing it off a bridge into the Bogue Chitto River.

The prosecutor's office said several members of McIntyre's family were present in the courtroom during McCann's guilty plea. Two of them also added victim impact statements before the sentencing.

According to the district attorney's office, McCann had no prior arrest record prior to the 2022 shooting.

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