27-Year-Old Barnegat Pleads Guilty In Connection In The October 2022 Atlantic City Shooting That Injured A Man
Sunday, July 28, 2024, 7:10 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ.- Following negotiations with the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday, July 25, 2024, Louis Stokes, 27, of Barnegat, New Jersey, appeared in Atlantic County Superior Court and pleaded guilty to the charges of second-degree Aggravated Assault; second-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose; and third-degree Hindering Apprehension.
According to Atlantic County Prosecutor William E. Reynolds, in return for the guilty pleas entered before Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Donna M. Taylor, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office will recommend that Stokes be sentenced to five years in New Jersey State Prison subject to the No Early Release Act, which will require Stokes to serve 85% of his custodial term before becoming eligible for parole. Upon his release, Stokes will be required to serve three years of intensive parole supervision.
The guilty pleas stem from an incident that occurred on October 14, 2022, when, at around midnight, members of the Atlantic City Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting a gunshot victim on Sewell Avenue in Atlantic City.
Upon arrival, Police Officers found a man who had sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his leg. The man was immediately transported to a nearby hospital for treatment and released and has made a full recovery.
During the initial investigation by responding Officers, a crime scene was located nearby in the area of Pennsylvania and Adriatic Avenues, where eight spent shell casings were recovered.
A subsequent investigation by Detectives of the Atlantic City Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit reviewed video surveillance footage of the area and uncovered that a group of men had been in the area of the shooting before fleeing inside a residence together.
   Stokes was arrested after he exited the home and consented to a search. During the search, During the search, Detectives found three handguns, including a stolen 9mm handgun, which ballistics analysts determined had been used to shoot the man. The 9mm was found on an adjacent second-floor window sill. Stokes’ DNA was also matched samples taken from two handguns. Further, a witness identified Stokes as the shooter that injured the man.
During the plea, Stokes admitted that he shot the man with the handgun, which he then hid to avoid his apprehension. After entering the plea, Stokes asked the court if could be released from custody in the Atlantic County Justice Facility pending sentencing, where he has been detained since his initial arrest. Sentencing in the matter has been scheduled for September 2024.
