COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A man will spend 18 years in prison for killing his former friend, the Cobb County district attorney said Tuesday.
According to a release from DA Flynn D. Broady's office, 21-year-old Jamari Christmas pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in the 2021 shooting of Majik Broussard.
The release said that the two had once been friends, who "had a falling out but still lived near one another."
On Dec. 22, 2021, officers responded to the shooting on Busbee Parkway near Townpark Drive outside Kennesaw. Officers found Broussard had been shot, and according to the DA he died after being transported for medical treatment.
Christmas stayed on scene and was detained, later telling investigators he "had a prior altercation with the victim a few weeks prior and believed that the victim wanted to fight again."
He claimed he did not want to fight, but "produced a handgun and shot (Broussard) twice in the torso and leg."
According to the DA, after accepting the plea agreement Judge Jason D. Marbutt told Christmas: “You owe it to Majik, his family and to yourself to make something of your life.”
Christmas apologized to family members who gave victim impact statements in court.
“This case was a tragedy that resulted from the all too common use of firearms to settle disputes. My heart goes out to the Broussard family for their strength and compassion in coping with this tragedy," said Assistant District Attorney Jay Winkler, who prosecuted the case.
