Crime & Safety
Convicted Gunman Sentenced In Father's Day Shooting At Lake Allatoona
As the man laid on the ground after the first shot, prosecutors say the convicted gunman fired two more shots at the man on Father's Day.
CANTON, GA — A 44-year-old Lithonia man has been sentenced to prison in connection with the shooting of an unarmed man on Father's Day 2024 near Lake Allatoona, Cherokee County prosecutors said Thursday.
The shooting happened around 6 p.m., June 16, 2024 at the day-use area of Sweetwater Campground near Fields Chapel Road on Lake Allatoona, prosecutors said.
There, Gregory Eugene Hall was accused of shooting an unarmed man three times in a parking lot, prosecutors said. As the man laid on the ground following the first shot, prosecutors said Hall fired two more shots at the man before fleeing in a gray Nissan SUV.
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Bystanders then tried to give aid to the man until first responders arrived, and the man was taken to a local hospital for emergency surgery, prosecutors said. He suffered "major internal injuries" and was in the hospital almost two weeks, prosecutors said.
Hall claimed self-defense, saying the man was intoxicated and physically aggressive, prosecutors said. However, a jury concluded the shooting "was an unlawful use of force," prosecutors said.
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On June 26, he was convicted of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon during a crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, prosecutors said.
Cherokee County Superior Court Judge Jennifer L. Davis sentenced Hall to 35 years to serve in prison with the possibility of parole, prosecutors said.
“The public has an unequivocal right to safely enjoy shared spaces without the threat of armed violence,” Cherokee County District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said in a news release. “In this case, a convicted felon unlawfully brought a firearm into a public setting, recklessly endangering the life of an unarmed individual. Such conduct poses a grave threat to our community and will be met with full accountability under the law.”
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