TOLEDO, Ohio — A man charged in a homicide and a Whitmer High School football game shooting that injured three people, both of which happened in October 2022, entered a plea deal on Thursday in the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas.
Jaron Phillips, 23, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of 26-year-old Johnathan Coleman, who died from injuries after a drive-by shooting on Oct. 6, 2022. Two others were also injured in this shooting.
He also pleaded guilty to five counts of felonious assault, one count of improperly discharging a firearm with intent to cause harm at a school activity and one count of participating in a criminal gang.
U.S. Marshals arrested Phillips in Texas last year after he was accused in Coleman's death and of shooting at a Whitmer High School football game the day after Coleman's death.
Phillips is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 23 at 11 a.m.
Andre Jackson, a second suspect charged in Coleman's death, is due in court for trial also on Sept. 23. He was arraigned in July of last year on multiple charges including aggravated murder. He is not charged in the Whitmer football game shooting, however.
Two other suspects also face charges alongside Phillips in the Whitmer shooting.
Kejuan Lucas, 22, was indicted in July on three counts of felonious assault in the incident. Toledo police in November of last year posted to social media that Lucas is wanted. If you have any information, you are asked to call or text Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $5,000.
A third suspect, D’Juan Gott, who was 17 at the time of the Whitmer shooting, was arrested last year and is also charged with three counts of felonious assault.
The Whitmer shooting happened around 9:50 p.m. on Oct. 7, 2022, during the fourth quarter of the game.
More than 12 gunshots were heard at the southwest corner of the stadium near the main entrance at which time people in the stands and on the field began to take cover and flee in the opposite direction of the shooting. Three people were injured.