Gun Sale Turned Robbery Earns Man 18 Years In Prison

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — A man has been sentenced to 30 years, with the first 18 in prison for his role in a shooting of a 17-year-old victim multiple times during a gun sale turned robbery in May of 2017, according to the Douglas County District Attorney's Office.

Kobie Mason pled guilty and was sentenced by Chief Superior Court Judge David T. Emerson on charges of armed robbery and aggravated battery for his role in the shooting. Mason asked to be given the mandatory minimum of 10 years while Chief Assistant District Attorney David Emadi highlighted the his extensive criminal history which included violence and gang charges, as well as the debilitating physical effects the victim suffered, and continues to suffer from, after being shot once in the hip and once in the leg by the Mason. Judge Emerson agreed with the State and sentenced Mason to 30 years with the first 18 years in prison without parole as recommended by the DA’s Office.

On May 26, 2017, in the early morning hours, the Mason arranged to meet with the victim for the purpose of selling him a handgun for $250 dollars. When the victim entered the back seat of the vehicle, the Mason pulled out the gun in a manner that the victim characterized as, “making it clear this was not what I thought it was.”

Mason engaged the victim in a physical altercation at gunpoint and took more than $200 in cash from him. The altercation then spilled out of the vehicle into the parking lot at the Arbor Station pool, where Mason stood over the victim and shot him twice; once in his left hip and once in his right thigh. Mason then hopped back into the vehicle he arrived in and fled the scene.

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The victim was found by a maintenance man and two pool workers bleeding and in shock, screaming in the parking lot, and was then immediately rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment. After receiving treatment and undergoing surgery, the victim was able to recover from his injuries, being confined to a walker for many months. He indicated to law enforcement that a friend of his arranged for the sale of the gun between himself and the shooter, who he identified as someone who goes by the nickname “Savage.”

Investigation and interviews were conducted over the following weeks, and law enforcement officials with the Douglasville Police Department were able to identify the shooter as Kobie Mason, whom many people referred to as going by the nickname “Savage.” At that point the victim positively identified the Mason as being the gunman, and text messages were recovered from hours after the shooting of Mason holding the same gun he used in the shooting while bragging about shooting and robbing the victim.

Chief ADA Emadi called Judge Emerson’s sentence, “A strong message that those who place the lives of others in our community in jeopardy, for whatever unlawful reason, will continue to be aggressively prosecuted and held accountable for their actions.”

District Attorney Ryan Leonard praised the work of local law enforcement, who he said, “Conducted a thorough and diligent investigation to identify a shooter that but for a quarter of an inch here or a half of an inch there could have easily murdered the victim in this case.” Leonard went further, saying, “Our medical first responders here in Douglas County as well as the doctors at Grady Hospital also deserve credit in treating the victim for what could have easily been life or death injuries."

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