Two defendants found guilty on assault, gang and gun charges in connection with a shooting at a Douglasville Sweet 16 party that killed two teenagers were sentenced Thursday to more than 300 years in prison.
A third defendant was found guilty on one gang charge and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, according to the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office.
Timothy Coleman, 20, and Kingston Cottman, 18, were tried in October on a long list of charges related to the fatal shooting at a party on March 4, 2023, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. Prosecutors showed that the defendants were part of a group that took guns to the party to confront another teen about a perceived gang-related insult on social media.
They began shooting into the crowded party with guns modified to fire automatically, killing 14-year-old Ajanaye Hill and 15-year-old Samuel Moon. Eight other teens were wounded.
Coleman and Cottman faced dozens of gun charges that each carried a five-year maximum sentence. A third co-defendant, 23-year-old Tahkel Beverly-Smart, faced trial alongside them but was not charged with the same gun counts.
A jury acquitted Coleman and Cottman of murder but found them guilty on charges that included aggravated assault and violating Georgia’s Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, the DA’s office said at the time. Coleman and Cottman were also both convicted on their gun charges, tacking decades onto their sentences.
In video from the courtroom, Chief Superior Court Judge William “Beau” McClain said Georgia law required him to apply those five-year sentences in consecutive order. When combined with 20-year consecutive sentences for their other crimes, the total sentence length for Coleman and Cottman reached 320 years.
“Shooting people is not cheaper by the dozen,” McClain said.
Beverly-Smart was also acquitted of murder but convicted on one gang count, the DA’s office said.
McClain told the courtroom the sentences were meant to serve as a deterrent.
“I’ve been around long enough to know that no worse crime has ever been committed in Douglas County,” McClain said from the bench.
“This mass shooting changed the tapestry of our community,” District Attorney Dalia Racine said in a statement. “Our children witnessed a war zone in their own backyards.”
When McClain announced the full 320-year sentences at the end of his explanation, the courtroom gallery briefly erupted with cheers before being hushed by the bailiff.
All three defendants will be able to appeal their sentences, McClain said. It is not clear if they will be eligible for parole.
Several other defendants in the case had already been sentenced.
Michael Williams previously pleaded guilty to felony murder, among other charges, and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, the DA’s office said.
Noah Bradley and twin brothers Chance and Chase McDowell were among the first arrests made in the case, alongside Coleman and Cottman. According to the DA’s office, Bradley pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to five years in prison followed by 15 on probation. Chase McDowell also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to 10 years on probation, while his brother Chance pleaded guilty to obstruction and was sentenced to 12 months to serve.
About the Author
