Man Pleads Guilty to Charges Involved in Atlantic City Shooting

The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that a Barnegat man has pled guilty to aggravated assault and firearms charges as follows:

On Thursday, July 25, 2024, Louis Stokes, 27, of Barnegat, NJ, pleaded guilty before the Honorable Donna M. Taylor, J.S.C. to charges of second-degree aggravated assault, second-degree possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose, and third-degree hindering apprehension. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Stokes is expected to be sentenced to an aggregate term of five years in New Jersey State Prison, with an 85% period of parole ineligibility under the No Early Release Act and the Graves Act. Upon his release from prison, Stokes will be subject to intensive parole supervision for a period of three years, said the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office has also confirmed the circumstances regarding the Atlantic City Police Department responding to the shooting:

Shortly before midnight on October 14, 2022, the Atlantic City Police Department responded to Sewell Avenue in Atlantic City where they located a gunshot victim. The victim had been shot once in the leg and his injuries were non-life threatening. A crime scene consisting of eight expended 9mm shell casings were located nearby in the area of Pennsylvania and Adriatic Avenues. Through surveillance video, police learned that a group of men had been in the area of the shooting before fleeing inside a home together. Stokes was arrested after he exited the home and a consent search revealed three handguns, including a stolen 9mm handgun which the ballistics laboratory later determined had been used to shoot the victim. This handgun was found after it was hidden outside a second-floor window on an adjacent exterior windowsill. Stokes' DNA was present on two of the handguns and he was identified as the shooter by an eyewitness.

Following his guilty plea, Stokes asked to be released from the Atlantic County Justice Facility. His request was opposed by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

Judge Taylor denied the request and Stokes remains incarcerated.

This incident was investigated by the Atlantic City Police Department's Violent Crimes Unit.

The case was prosecuted by the Gangs, Guns, and Narcotics Unit of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

Stokes will be formally sentenced in September, 2024.

SOURCE: Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.