Proscenium building shooting suspect ruled mentally competent to stand trial



The security guard accused of shooting three women in Midtown last summer, killing one and leaving another paralyzed, is capable of standing trial Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kelly A. Lee ruled on Wednesday.

The judge said that Nkosi Thandiwe, 23, is mentally competent and will faces felony murder and numerous other charges for his alleged actions during a July 15, 2011 shooting spree at the Proscenium building that left Brittany Watts dead and Lauren Garcia paralyzed.

Prosecutors have charged Thandiwe with three counts of felony murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, hijacking a car, aggravated battery and gun possession during the commission of a felony.

Police say Thandiwe, who was a security guard at the Proscenium building where all three women worked, shot Watts in the neck in the building’s parking deck, and then fled the garage in her car, shooting two more women as he exited onto Crescent Avenue. Tiffany Ferenczy suffered a leg injury.

In November, Thandiwe pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in the . At that time and at the request of his attorney, John A. Garland, Lee ordered in Thandiwe to undergo a mental evaluation.

The judge ruled Wednesday that the accused shooter was capable of comprehending what was happening during a trial.

Also on Wednesday, Garland asked the state to provide assistance with the costs with the defense because his client’s family couldn’t afford to pay for legal fees, according to the AJC. A ruling on that is expected later this week and the trial should commence sometime next year.