SUPERIOR COURT
One of two defendants in a 2022 case involving a shooting at a Jones County recreation center gym entered a guilty plea to the resulting aggravated assault charges and received a 10-year sentence.
Tyshun A. Gilmore was in Jones County Superior Court Feb. 15 to enter his negotiated plea. He received 10 years each for 11 counts of aggravated assault. The counts are to run concurrently for a total of 10 years with the first year served at the Jones County Law Enforcement Center. The remainder of the sentence is to be served on probation with credit for time served from July 11, 2023.
Gilmore and Shakim Tyhiem Reeder were indicted for the 11 counts of aggravated assault by a Jones County Grand Jury June 6, 2023.
Reeder was arrested Feb. 1, 2023, and Gilmore May 29, 2023. Both were subsequently released on bonds.
The Dec. 20, 2022, report of the incident by Jones County Deputy Zach Allen stated he was dispatched to the Mattie Wells gym in reference to gunshots heard outside of the building. Allen said, when he arrived, he noticed a large group of males standing at the entrance of the gym.
The deputy said he approached the group and asked what happened. He said he was told that someone began shooting at the gym from the outside. After talking to them further, the consensus was it was possibly a white minivan with three black males inside. The deputy said he requested additional units and Deputies Alya Morris, Matthew Johnson, Sgt. Kasey Carr and Investigator Barron Hall arrived at the scene. Allen said one of the witnesses told him a large group of the males were playing basketball inside the gym when one went to his backpack and started talking about “stuff” that was missing. He said the male went outside and came back in making threats, while showing that he had a gun in his pants. The male continued to ask where was his “stuff.” He then went outside, and the crowd followed.
The witness said the male was near the outside basketball court, and he started shooting in the air and yelling. The witness said two other males got into the white minivan, started down the driveway and began shooting at the gym before leaving the area.
Allen said, while speaking to the victims who were in the gym, it was evident that the “stuff” was a pistol that was missing from his bag. He said no one at the gym knew the three males, but he was given descriptions.
Allen said nine .40 caliber shell casings were located in the driveway of the gym, and two projectiles were located inside the gym with multiple fragments scattered around the gym. He said photos were taken of the evidence, including bullet holes in the side of the building and tire tracks leaving the gym.
