CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Jamison Mullins II, a Fort Campbell solider charged with first-degree murder in the 2020 shooting death of 15-year-old Damariontae Brown, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter Tuesday morning.

For the manslaughter charge, 27-year-old Mullins agreed to a four-year sentence to serve at 30% with the Tennessee Department of Corrections. He also pleaded guilty to employment of a firearm in commission of a dangerous felony charge, and on that charge Mullins agreed to serve six years at 100% also with TDOC.

The sentence for the manslaughter charge will be served consecutively, or after, count two of employment of a firearm in commission of a dangerous felony, bringing his total sentence to 10 year.

Details on the shooting

On March 13, 2020 at about 3:30 a.m., Clarksville Police responded to a shooting in the 3000 Block of Dresden Way. More details about the incident were provided by District Attorney Dan Brollier in court on Tuesday.

Mullins and his wife were notified via their home’s security system that there was activity in their driveway area, Brollier said. When Mullins’ wife looked outside, she saw someone going through her car. Brollier said Mullins then got an assault-type rifle and from an upstairs room window yelled at the victim to see what he was doing.

“The victim at that point turned to run, got to the edge of his driveway, perhaps a little further and apparently turned and looked back at him, and according to Mr. Mullins’ statement, he said, ‘He turned and looked at me, he looked like he was grabbing for something and started to run,'” Brollier told the court Tuesday.

Mullins said he saw Damariontae make a sign with his hands in the shape of a gun, but Brollier said Mullins never said he thought Brown had a gun. Brown did have Mullins’ wife’s purse in his hands along with a cell phone, and Mullins fired a single shot.

When police arrived, they found Damariontae in the road deceased from a single gunshot wound. Brollier said Damariontae was shot in the back, through the heart and the bullet exited through his chest.

However, Mullins did not have a gun permit at the time of the shooting, according to his warrant.

The deal

The break-in was captured on video from Mullins’ home security system, but Brollier said the home security system was motion activated, therefore the shooting was not captured on video. Damariontae had already stepped out of the area of the driveway and into the road, which turned off the system’s video function.

“Mr. Mullins was very cooperative, he and his wife immediately told officers what happened as I’ve just described to you,” Brollier said, adding that there was no factual dispute from either party about what happened during the shooting.

Brollier also said that a factor in the state’s decision to settle the case was Damariontae’s mother, who had already lost another son to homicide before Damariontae’s death. She asked the state to avoid going to trial, Brollier said.

Judge William Goodman agreed to delay the entering of the guilty judgement until March 17, when Mullins will return to court and be remanded to TDOC custody and begin serving his sentence. The delay will not affect the conditions of Mullins’s bond, according to Mullins’ attorney, Chase Smith,

Smith had no additional comment on the plea deal.