A Toccoa man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison plus 10 years probation for shooting three people. Judge Chan Caudell handed down the sentence Wednesday to Antuan Demetrius Prather after a three-day trial in Stephens County Superior Court.
The jury convicted the 32-year-old Prather of three counts of aggravated assault and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The charges stemmed from an August 1, 2021, shooting spree that began outside the Marathon gas station on Big A Road in Toccoa.
According to the indictment and police reports, Prather fired a 9mm handgun at Andrew McKnight of Jefferson, who was sitting in his vehicle outside the gas station. A bullet struck McKnight in the leg. Prather fled the scene.
An hour later, five miles away, authorities say Prather shot Karanjit Singh and a man by the last name of Harpol (no first name), who were working at Tony’s General Store on U.S. Highway 23. Soon after, Toccoa police arrested Prather.
Mountain Judicial Chief Assistant District Attorney Suzanne Boykin and Assistant DA Rebecca James prosecuted the case. The GBI, Toccoa Police Department, and Stephens County Sheriff’s Office investigated the shootings.
“Mr. Prather shot three innocent people with whom he had no prior relationship,” says Boynkin. “These shootings were random and in the middle of the day on a Sunday afternoon. Thank goodness this was an aggravated assault prosecution rather than a murder case.”
Toccoa Police Chief Jimmy Mize applauded the verdict, saying the DA did “an awesome job” prosecuting the case. He also commended the officers who investigated.
“I hope this also gives the victims some peace,” says Mize.
The District Attorney’s Office says Prather will be eligible for parole as determined by the Georgia Department of Corrections.
