Man convicted for shooting unarmed man at Lake Allatoona

CANTON, Ga. - A Lithonia man convicted in the 2024 shooting of an unarmed man at Lake Allatoona was sentenced Thursday to 35 years in prison, officials announced.

Gregory Eugene Hall Jr., 44, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Jennifer L. Davis following his conviction last month on multiple charges, including aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

SEE ALSO: Actor and veteran Maurice Winsell recovers after Father's Day shooting at Allatoona Lake

The backstory:

The charges stem from a Father’s Day incident on June 16, 2024, when Cherokee County sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting at the day-use area of Sweetwater Campground around 6 p.m. Investigators said Hall shot the victim three times in a parking lot, once while the man was standing and twice more after he collapsed.

Eyewitnesses told authorities that Hall pulled a gun on the unarmed victim and fired, then paused and fired again as the man lay on the ground. Hall fled the scene in a gray Nissan SUV, deputies said.

Bystanders rendered aid until first responders arrived. The victim was rushed to a hospital, underwent emergency surgery for major internal injuries, and remained hospitalized for nearly two weeks.

Hall was arrested shortly after the shooting and claimed he acted in self-defense, alleging the victim was intoxicated and physically aggressive. A Cherokee County jury rejected that claim during Hall’s trial, which concluded June 26 with guilty verdicts on all counts.

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A day on Allatoona Lake turned into a shooting for Maurice Winsell and his fiancé, Melissa Murner.

At Thursday’s sentencing hearing, the victim’s statement detailed the severe pain and emotional trauma he continues to endure. Prosecutors sought the maximum sentence under Georgia law, citing Hall’s prior felony convictions and invoking the state’s recidivist statute.

Judge Davis sentenced Hall as a repeat offender, ordering him to serve the full 35-year sentence, with the possibility of parole.

What they're saying:

"The evidence in this case clearly showed that the defendant’s actions were malicious, intentional, and not a matter of self-defense," said Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Visockis, who prosecuted the case. "He brandished a weapon and fired three times at an unarmed man. After firing the second shot, he paused, then maliciously fired a third time at the victim, who was already seriously injured and lying on the ground."

"The public has an unequivocal right to safely enjoy shared spaces without the threat of armed violence," said District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway. "In this case, a convicted felon unlawfully brought a firearm into a public setting, recklessly endangering the life of an unarmed individual. Such conduct poses a grave threat to our community and will be met with full accountability under the law."