NEWS RELEASE

September 20, 2019

Aaron Starks Jr. Convicted of First-Degree Assault

Montgomery County, Ala. – In the early hours of April 28, 2018, a man and his friends were sitting in a car in a parking lot near a club on McGehee Road when Aaron Starks Jr., approached the vehicle with a loaded shotgun. Starks walked to the driver side window where the victim was sitting and fired into the car, striking him in the face. The victim miraculously survived the shooting but lost his left eye, several teeth, and now only has 50 percent vision in his right eye. Starks was charged with Attempted Murder as a result of this heinous act.

A Montgomery County jury convicted Starks of First-Degree Assault, a Class B felony, according to District Attorney Daryl Bailey. Starks faces 10 to 20 years in prison. He will be sentenced November 15, 2019.

District Attorney Daryl Bailey expressed his appreciation to Deputy District Attorneys Ben Gibbons and MaryLou Bowdre for their outstanding work. He also thanked Investigators Denny Merritt, Lonnie Harris, and John Wilson of the District Attorney’s Office, and Detective J.H. Hicks of the Montgomery Police Department for their exceptional work in the investigation of the case.

District Attorney Bailey said: “While it is a blessing the victim survived this shooting, his life will never be the same. Therefore, we will be asking for the maximum allowable punishment. Let this serve as a warning to those who continue to perpetuate these senseless acts of violence. Our citizens have had enough. Gun violence or any type of violence for that matter will not be tolerated. You will be held accountable for your actions and you will go to jail for a long time.”

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