Three men sentenced to prison for deadly Sweet 16 attack in Douglasville

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. – 3 people found guilty in deadly shooting Douglasville Sweet 16 party In 2023, they will learn their sentences on Thursday.

Timothy Coleman, 20, Kingston Cottman, 18, and 23-year-old Tahkel Marquise Beverly-Smart He will appear in a Douglas County courtroom for his sentencing hearing.

Coleman and Cottman were convicted in October of aggravated assault, violating the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, possession of a firearm during a felony and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Beverly-Smart was convicted of violating the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act.

All three men were acquitted of murder charges.

2 teenagers killed in Sweet 16 attack in Douglasville

More than 100 people attended the Sweet 16 on March 4, 2023, on Sitka Drive in Douglasville. Eventually, the participants were kicked out by their hosts after discovering that some of the teenagers were smoking marijuana.

Shortly after the participants were told to leave, gunfire began.

Two teenagers, 14-year-old Aj’anaye Hill and 15-year-old Samuel Moon, were killed. Several more young people were injured. Neither was the intended target.

Samuel Moon, 15, and Aj’anaye Hill, 14, were shot and killed when a gunman opened fire on attendees at a Sweet 16 party in Douglasville on March 5, 2023.

Investigators claimed the attack was planned as a “gang hit” by a well-known group in Cobb County called DBG.

What led to the Douglasville Sweet 16 shootout?

Chief Superior Court Judge William “Beau” McClain presided over the hearing, where evidence pointed to a conflict sparked by social media statements about a gang member’s suicide.

They began shooting into the crowd of children with automatic weapons while attacking the young man they believed was making the comment.

Police uncovered Flock camera footage that linked Coleman and Beverly-Smart to the scene in a 2008 Lexus ES350. Cell phone data shows that the other defendants were in the area at the time of the incident.

Other suspects in Douglasville Sweet 16 attack

Defendants Michael Williams, Noah Bradley And twin brothers Chase and Chance McDowell He took plea deals to lesser charges earlier this year.

Williams was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years plus five years. Bradley was sentenced to five years in prison. The twins will be released after serving 12 months in prison.