Akron, Ohio – A 26-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting a woman outside a Dollar Tree store in Akron, a killing prosecutors described as a tragic act of “misplaced vengeance.” The victim, Ernestine Stallings, was loading birthday balloons into her car when she was shot multiple times in front of her fiancée, who narrowly escaped being hit.
The July 3, 2023, shooting stunned the local community and drew renewed attention to gun violence driven by personal revenge and mistaken identity. Court records confirm the shooter, Jontae Watkins, will be eligible for parole only after serving 33 years of his life sentence.
What happened outside the Dollar Tree
On the afternoon of the shooting, Stallings had just finished shopping for birthday balloons and was standing beside her car in the Dollar Tree parking lot. Her fiancée, Tasha Love, was helping her load the balloons when Watkins allegedly drove into the parking lot and waited.
Prosecutors said Watkins remained in his vehicle until Stallings exited the store. He then approached from behind and opened fire using an AR-15-style rifle, striking Stallings six times in the back and torso…