Bibb County teen admits to shooting, killing his friend. Here’s his sentence
.jpg "Bibb County teen, Jaleer Davis, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the Sept. 2022 death of 16-year-old I’ming Jackson and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.")
A Bibb County teen was sentenced to a decade in prison this week after admitting to shooting and killing his friend. .
Jaleer Davis, 19, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter Monday, according to court records . As a result, his felony murder, aggravated assault and firearm possession charges were dismissed.
Davis was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of probation. He also was fined $5,000, according to his sentencing sheet.
He was given credit for the three years he served at the Bibb County Jail. Davis had been incarcerated from June 23, 2026, until Feb. 24, according to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office inmate search and the sentencing sheet.
Davis is eligible to leave prison early after completing five years of his sentence, records showed.
The case stemmed from the shooting death of 16-year-old I’ming Jackson around midnight Sept. 13, 2022. Davis and two friends were walking along Hollingsworth Road in Macon when they spotted Jackson.
Witness statements about what led to Jackson’s death were unclear, according to court records.
Inconsistent witness testimony
According to witness testimony at immunity hearings in 2025, the two friends walking with Davis did not immediately recognize Jackson since it was dark outside.
A witness said they saw a muzzle flash from a gunshot on the night of the incident. They identified Davis as the only person they “observed holding and firing a weapon,” according to court records.
However, the friends said “Jackson had no motive to shoot at or harm them and would never do so,” court records showed. They said that they didn’t believe Jackson had given any indication of deadly bodily injury.
“In fact, one of Davis’ witnesses stated (they) could not confirm if the victim fired a shot at all, as her back was turned and (they were) fleeing when (they) heard the gunshot,” according to court records.
Only one gunshot was detected in that area, according to Shotspotter, a law enforcement tool that tracks gun shots in the area, court records said.
Despite stating at one of the immunity hearings that Davis did not shoot Jackson on purpose, initial interviews showed that one of the friends told investigators they felt “Davis shot on purpose because he had been ‘smoking on I’ming,’” according to court records.
And, even though they alleged that they saw a muzzle flash, initial interviews from the other witness stated that the two friends were already in the woods by the time they heard any gunshots, court records showed.
The two friends denied discussing the case before the Sept. 4 hearing, but “Facebook records presented by the State, however, contradicted her testimony, revealing a detailed conversation between (the two friends) about the case,” court records showed.
Testimony from a relative of Jackson eventually led to Davis’ arrest and subsequent conviction. The relative lived out of town, but drove to Macon after learning of the victim’s injury, court records said.
On the way, Jackson’s relative picked up the victim’s friends, including Davis, according to court records.
“Unaware that Davis was the alleged shooter, (Jackson’s relative) overheard him bragging about ‘popping a (expletive)’ from the backseat of her car,” court records said.
Jackson’s relative asked the victim’s friends what happened. Davis claimed someone else shot Jackson. After confronting Davis, “he left the hospital and did not return,” court records showed. Davis was then arrested in connection with the shooting on June 23, 2023.
His immunity claim was denied in December.
