MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Emotional testimony filled a Mobile County courtroom Friday as a mother came face-to-face with the man accused of killing her son during a shooting in downtown Mobile on New Year’s Eve in 2022.
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The mother of JaTarious Reives asked a judge to impose the maximum sentence on Thomas Thomas Jr. Prosecutors say Thomas pleaded guilty to murder after opening fire into a crowd gathered on Dauphin Street waiting to ring in the New Year. Reives was killed in the shooting, and eight others were injured.
In court, Reives’ mother described the life of her son. She told the judge he would have been 27 years old. He worked as a night caregiver in a group home, had recently purchased a new car, and was preparing to welcome a baby boy.
“Nobody should lose kids to gun violence. It’s just, it’s terrible,” said Defense attorney Chase Dearman
According to investigators, Thomas fired 16 shots using a pistol equipped with an extended magazine and a Glock Switch, a device that converts a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic firearm…