CHARLESTON, W.Va. –Two of the defendants in the May 2024 drive-by shooting near the Shawnee Sports Complex in Dunbar receiving maximum sentences for their involvement in the incident.
Antonio Jacobs, 19, and Zion Clark, 24, appeared before Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Maryclaire Akers Friday morning.
Jacobs was the first to be sentenced Friday. He was sentenced to five years for the four counts of wanton endangerment that he pleaded guilty to in April. He was originally charged with ten counts.
Those sentences will run consecutive with one another.
Jacobs took the time to apologize for his actions that day.
“I would like to apologize to the kids and the parents and everything because they didn’t deserve that, they were just having a good time, playing their game and they didn’t deserve to hear those gunshots and fear for their lives,” Jacobs said.
However, Akers told Jacobs that the reason for her sentence was because of the panic and danger that they caused.
“I’m in a difficult position because I do believe that you’re sorry for what you did but I can’t ignore what danger you put everyone in, you, and Mr. Clark and Mr. Bowman,” she said.
Before sentencing Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney Madison Tuck showed surveillance videos from a church that was in the alley near the parking lot where the shooting took place on May 19, 2024. Two of the videos showed Kaden Bowman, the other defendant in the case, show up to the parking lot and then driving away and parking his car somewhere else before going back to the parking lot on foot. The other one showed Jacobs and Clark showing up before gun fire was exchanged between all three defendants.
She also showed videos from parents who were livestreaming the games going on that day that showed the panic that ensued when the multiple gunshots could be heard.
Tuck before sentencing recommended that the sentences be served consecutive because she believed that residents deserve to not have to live in fear of something like this happening.
“I believe the people of Kanawha County deserve to live in their residents, whether that’s the highest income housing or the lowest income housing and go to sports tournaments without being worried that essentially a dual, a shooting, was going to break out,” Tuck said.
Jacobs defense attorney, Alan Pritt did ask for him to be sentenced to the Anthony Correctional Center.
In April at their plea hearings, Clark and Jacobs said that initially it was only going to be a fist fight, however all three defendants brought guns.
Tuck said that the dispute was over a woman.
Clark was sentenced later in the morning, where he was sentenced to five years for the three counts of wanton endangerment with a firearm, he pleaded guilty to in April. He originally faced nine counts.
Like Jacobs, Clark said he was sorry for what happened.
“I am truly remorseful and truly truly sorry and take full responsibility for what I did,” Clark said.
The state did not have a recommended sentence for Clark because of the plea agreement.
His defense attorney, Kenneth Starcher asked for the sentences to be served concurrent with one another.
Again, Akers iterated that she couldn’t do that because of the danger they caused. But also saying that the consequences could have been more severe than what they were.
“Bullets travel and certainly there could have been consequences there,” Akers said. “And there were, people didn’t know that you all were two blocks away they felt that their children were endangered, so they’re running for their lives all the way across Shawnee park because you all decided to have a shootout in the middle of Dunbar.
Both, Jacobs and Clark, were given credit for the time that they have served.
The third defendant, Kaden Bowman, is scheduled to be back in court on Monday June 9th, at 9 a.m.
发表回复