ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke man convicted for a 2023 shooting inside a Food Lion that left two people hurt, learns he gets a second chance.
Kemonte Cooper was found guilty in December.
Cooper was in court Friday asking the judge for a second chance before learning how much time he’ll serve behind bars.
“As I been sitting in jail, I thought about everything that happened and I’m sorry for what happened,” Cooper said.
Cooper’s defense attorneys brought in a former teacher and volunteer football coach who said Cooper, prior to the shooting incident was a good role model.
“My son idolizes him as his coach, he had a rough transition in the first year we were here, we played for a different organization, and there was a lot of contention in youth football, amongst the kids,” Master Sergeant Shane Grinder said. “My son came on under Kemonte as head coach and took him on as if he was coaching my son for ten years.”
A jury found Cooper guilty in the Food Lion shooting that happened in February of last year.
Surveillance video shows Cooper interacting with a couple at the checkout and that argument escalated into a fight that led to Cooper shooting and hitting Deonsay Foster.
Cooper was found guilty on three charges including unlawful wounding, unlawful discharge of a firearm, and carrying a concealed weapon.
The judge voiced his opinion to Cooper in court.
“This gentleman had nothing to with this, this was entirely you, this was entirely you looking for trouble, and had you not introduced a gun to this situation, we wouldn’t be here,” the judge said. “That’s the last chance you’re going to get in this court on this matter.”
In total, Cooper will serve one year and three months, with one year of supervised probation.
10 News spoke with Deonsay Foster and his family. They declined to go on camera for an interview but said justice was not served because Foster is still a victim in the case after spending time recovering in the hospital.