ATLANTA — The man who shot and injured three people inside an Atlanta food court in June is headed to prison.
Channel 2’s Michael Seiden was the only Atlanta TV reporter in the courtroom Friday as Jeremy Malone pleaded guilty to nine charges stemming from the shooting inside the Peachtree Center food court.
During the emotional hearing, two of the victims described the pain and fear they endured as the chaos unfolded.
“He did this with no remorse. He’s a menace to society,” victim Donna Hardy told the court Friday via Zoom.
Malone shot her and two others, including her sister Deborah.
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“He left me and my sister scared for life and not even to mention the pain and agony we went through,” Donna Hardy said.
Malone, who is a convicted felon with a long criminal history, showed no emotion in court as he entered a non-negotiated plea that requires him to spend the next 10 years in prison followed by 10 years of probation.
Malone’s attorney told the court that his client had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had not been taking his medication when he walked into the food court and punched Orlando Garcia in the face and then shot him in the arm and leg.
Atlanta Police Officer Lamar Jacobs, who received the Medal of Honor in October, was eating lunch in the food court when he heard the gunshots and shot Malone before he could hurt anyone else.
Before Malone received his sentence, he heard from Garcia who described the trauma he’s forced to live with every single day.
“I cannot sleep at night,” Garcia said. “For the bad that he did, he has to pay.”
There was a moment in court when it looked like Malone was going to withdraw his plea and take his case to trial, but after a closed-door meeting with his lawyer, he agreed to accept his punishment.
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