A then-16-year-old shot and killed a woman during a fight with his mother. He is sentenced
A 17-year-old pleaded guilty to the shooting death of a woman at a gas station in Fort Valley and will serve 25 years in prison, District Attorney Anita Howard, for the Macon Judicial Circuit, said Friday afternoon.
Joseph Tye pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, according to the district attorney’s office. The plea stemmed from a fight at R&R Quik Shop on Oct. 24, 2023, that started after Tye’s mother, Katrina Smith, punched the victim, Shalandra Hooten.
After Tye and others were unsuccessful in separating the women, he shot Hooten once, killing her. He was arrested later that day, still in possession of the gun.
Even though he was 16 at the time, he was prosecuted as an adult because of the severity of the crime, the district attorney’s office said.
Hooten and Smith fought often, but Smith would later express regret for the role she played during the shooting, according to the district attorney’s office. She appeared at Tye’s plea and sentencing hearings.
“Using firearms to resolve issues like this is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in this jurisdiction,” said Howard. “This is a significant sentence for a 17-year-old over a situation that I believe could have been de-escalated. As adults, we have a responsibility to serve as role models for peaceful resolution of conflict for our children. That did not happen here, and now a child will spend a significant part of his life behind bars.”
This story was originally published January 24, 2025 at 5:21 PM.
