A Jones County man received a 20-year sentence for a shooting that took place in 2023, following his guilty plea.
Alex McCater Coats was in Jones County Superior Court Jan. 5 to enter his plea to the charge of aggravated assault. He received 20 years with the first four years in confinement with credit for time served from Dec. 19, 2023. The remainder of sentence is to be served on probation.
Coats was a suspect in a shooting that occurred Dec. 16, 2023, at a residence on Kingsview Circle.
Jones County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Ayla Morris was the first to respond to the report of the shooting. In her report, she said, while en route, she checked the area of Joycliff Road, Kingsview Drive and Kingsview Circle for the suspect, who was described as a black male wearing a blue hoodie and black pants.
Morris did not locate the subject and met with the victim, his father and sister. She said the victim was leaning against a counter in the kitchen, holding a towel to put pressure on the wound. The victim was shot in the buttocks on the porch of a neighboring residence.
The victim told the deputy he was walking onto the neighbor’s porch when the offender came up behind him and shot him. He told the officer he had seen the suspect before but was not acquainted with him.
Morris said she let dispatch know that the scene was safe for EMS, who arrived shortly after as did additional JCSO units. The deputy said she was provided with videos of the suspect approaching the residence and the shooting from porch cameras.
She said, when Sgt. Travis Walker arrived at the scene, he assumed incident command, and she was assigned to maintain the perimeter. Morris said her interactions with those on the scene were captured on her body cam.
JCSO Capt. Kenny Allen took over the investigation into the shooting and was able to identify Coats as the shooter. A warrant was issued to search Coats’ residence Dec. 19, 2023, which resulted in the suspect being taken into custody.
Coats was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a minor and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
