CLARKE COUNTY, Ala. — A grand jury has indicted two Clarke County men on attempted murder charges in connection with a January shooting that wounded a woman investigators say had nothing to do with the dispute.
The shooting occurred Jan. 5 at the intersection of Walker Springs Road and Family Circle in the Gainestown community, according to the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office.
What happened
Investigators say a woman driving to work was shot in the leg. Her vehicle was struck by nearly two dozen bullets.
Deputies arrested Quenterio Washington, 22, in January and charged him with first-degree assault. Sheriff Dewayne Smith said deputies arrested Jalin Pace, 24, last month on the same charge. Court documents filed this month show the grand jury upgraded both charges to attempted murder.
Why the charge changed
Sheriff Smith said the upgraded indictment followed months of continued evidence gathering.
“On attempted murder, you have to have intent and a couple of other elements,” Smith said. “When it’s presented to the grand jury, sometimes we have more evidence than what we had when we made the initial arrest. But we’re not going to change it until it goes to the grand jury. But let’s say we charge you with one thing when we arrested you, but we still don’t quit gathering evidence. So sometimes in these cases, we have a lot more evidence by the time it gets to the grand jury. So, when it’s presented, it meets enough elements to a higher charge.”
That explanation describes a common progression in Alabama criminal cases. An initial charge reflects what deputies can establish at the scene; a grand jury indictment reflects what prosecutors can establish after forensic work, phone records and witness interviews are complete.
The wrong vehicle
Investigators say the woman was not the intended target. Washington and Pace were looking for someone else who drove a similar vehicle.
Detectives say bullets recovered at the scene matched the caliber of a firearm owned by Pace, and records show his cell phone data placed him in the area at the time of the shooting.
A sheriff’s broader concern
Smith framed the case as an example of young people making decisions driven by emotion, and described efforts to intervene earlier.
“We’re trying to implement some leadership programs, based off the leadership traits and principles inside the schools, even in jail,” Smith said. “We have been making good progress with this. We’ve actually had inmates that have gone out and shared testimonies, and crusades that we had up here a few months ago. We’ve had inmates that go and help me in talking into the schools about trying to get the kids to make smarter decisions, not end up in jail. Don’t base your decisions off of emotions and a split second can not only cost you, but it can cost others. And, oh, by the way, there’s innocent people that get caught in the crossfires when we don’t make good decisions on that.”
What’s next
Court records show Pace and Washington are scheduled to return to court in December. An indictment is not a finding of guilt, and both men are presumed innocent unless and until convicted.