Warner Robins man to serve decade in prison after shooting at group of people
A Warner Robins man will serve prison time for shooting at a group of people following a fist fight.
Jaylon Dontez Smith, 21, will serve 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated assault, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to a news release Friday from Houston County District Attorney Eric Edwards.
Smith was charged in an incident where he shot at a group of people on Terrykay Circle in Warner Robins on Jan. 3, 2024, according to the news release.
Smith was already on probation for a drugs and firearms possession conviction before the incident. His probation was revoked in full following his guilty plea.
He will need to serve 20 years of probation following his release. He’s also banned from Houston County, according to the district attorney.
“This case is a stark reminder of how quickly reckless gun violence can turn a neighborhood gathering into a potential tragedy,” Edwards said.
What happened
On the day of the incident, a group of girls got into a fist fight. The girls’ older friends and family members later gathered around Terrykay Circle to discuss the fight.
Smith, who was friends with one of the younger girls, “arrived on scene and brandished a firearm, then fired several rounds at the gathered parties,” according to Edwards. No one was injured.
A video captured on someone’s phone showed Smith leaving the scene with the gun in his hand, according to the news release. He then entered a car and drove away.
The Warner Robins Police Department eventually found Smith. Instead of his car, there were two cars and “numerous narcotics packaged for sale,” according to Edwards.
“What began as a dispute stemming from a fistfight escalated because this defendant chose to introduce a firearm and fire multiple rounds into a crowd of people,” Edwards said. “The only reason this case is being prosecuted as an aggravated assault rather than multiple homicides is because of sheer luck.”
