Crime & Public Safety
Man convicted in deadly April 2024 shooting at Diamond Head Lake in Bay County
A man has been convicted in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred at Diamond Head Lake in April 2024 in Bay County. Authorities say the victim, identified in court filings as a Panama City resident, was shot during an encounter tied to a day of fishing and socializing.
According to prosecutors, the defendant was arrested in June 2024 after an investigation into the April death. Investigators presented evidence at a Washington County trial showing the three people had spent the day together before a physical altercation took place. Prosecutors allege the defendant produced a firearm during the fight and shot the victim, who later died from the wound.
Washington County authorities brought manslaughter with a firearm charges; a jury convicted the defendant of that offense following a trial prosecuted by the state attorney’s office. The facts the jury found supported relate to the sequence of events presented at trial: a social gathering, a subsequent fight, the use of a gun, and the victim’s death. These are the events that were proven to the jury beyond other contested assertions.
The case is now at the sentencing stage; a sentencing hearing has been scheduled in October. Law enforcement and the prosecuting office led the investigation and prosecution as documented in court and charging records. No additional victims, injuries, or further outcomes were reported in the record provided.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.