A man charged in a downtown Cleveland mass shooting last summer that wounded nine people was convicted Wednesday after he pleaded no contest to all counts just as his trial was due to begin.
Jaylon Jennings, 26, of Cleveland, now faces several decades in prison when he’s sentenced Sept. 3. He had faced nine counts of attempted murder, 18 counts of felonious assault, two weapons charges, and single counts of grand theft and receiving stolen property.
Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the July 9, 2023, shooting, which occurred during a surge in violent crime in Cleveland.
Cuyahoga County prosecutors have said Jennings opened fire on a group that was outside a bar in the city’s downtown Warehouse District as the clubs were closing. Seven men and two women between the ages of 23 and 38 were struck and treated at hospitals. Eight of the victims appeared to be part of a targeted group of friends, prosecutors said, while the other victim was standing nearby.
Officials did not say why Jennings had sought out the group. He fled the scene in a vehicle driven by another man but was arrested three days later by Cleveland police and U.S. marshals. The getaway driver eventually pleaded guilty in January to tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice charges and will be sentenced Tuesday.