Atlantic City Man Admits To Shooting Other In Planned Fistfight

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — A planned fistfight between two groups of men in Atlantic City went awry when one participant who was on parole at the time shot another in the back, according to the Atlantic City Prosecutor's Office.

Jawaun Yeoman, 27, admitted to shooting another man in the lower back, ending the brawl, according to a news release. He pleaded guilty to second-degree aggravated assault, second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, and first-degree unlawful possession of a handgun by a prior No Early Release Act felon.

The fistfight was on March 25, 2023, when police arrived to Sovereign and Sunset avenues for the report of a shooting, officials said. There, they found a man with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound on his lower back.

Police learned that two groups of men had met up that day for a "consensual and planned fistfight," officials said.

Yeoman and the shooting victim were two of the participants, authorities said. The fistfight ended after Yeoman shot the other man in the back, and all the men then fled from the area, according to officials.

Yeoman was caught in May of 2023 with a handgun on him, officials said. Ballistics testing confirmed that gun was used in the previous shooting, according to authorities.

At the time of the fight, Yeoman was on parole, having been in prison for committing a second-degree robbery, authorities said.

He's currently in custody awaiting sentencing, which is set for Oct. 2024.