Tobias Coleman, 23, of Starkville, was sentenced Wednesday by Oktibbeha County Circuit Court Judge James T. Kitchens, Jr., for one count of aggravated assault after being found guilty for a March 2014 shooting of another man.
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood announced that Coleman was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with five of those years suspended.
Coleman will serve 15 years, followed by five years of post- release supervision. He was also ordered to pay $500 to the Mississippi Crime Victim Compensation Fund, $1,000 in fines and all court costs.
“We thank the jury for its time and verdict in this case and I thank Judge Kitchens for his strong sentence,” Attorney General Hood said. “Maybe this will make young men think before they allow testosterone and gunplay to impact their lives, the lives of others and communities.”
Hood’s office said the assault took place on March 30, 2014, at Club Rock in Oktibbeha County.
Coleman shot Zacharias Blanchard of Starkville in the head, resulting in serious injury to Blanchard, a criminal investigation determined.
Hood’s office said a dispute between the two men occurred months before the crime, which led Coleman to seek revenge and shoot Blanchard at Club Rock.
The release said Coleman had attempted to take a car from Blanchard at gunpoint, but the gun jammed and Blanchard took the gun from him.