Countess Clemons
Attempted first-degree murder charges against Countess Clemons, 21, and Jalisa Silves, 24, were lowered to reckless endangerment by General Sessions Court Judge Christie Sell on Tuesday morning, and assault charges against Victoria Jackson, 20, were dropped.
Ms. Clemons and Ms. Silves were arguing with Ms. Jackson and some of her siblings on Oct. 15 when a physical altercation started between Ms. Clemons and Ms. Jackson, it was testified at a preliminary hearing.
Ms. Jackson said the fight started after Ms. Clemons spat on her. Ms. Jackson testified that she heard Ms. Silves ask “Where's the gun?” right before she saw Ms. Clemons pointing a 9 mm at her.
After Ms. Jackson turned and ran, she said Ms. Clemons fired several shots. Multiple people in the area heard the gunshots, and Ms. Jackson's three-year-old son was present through the entire incident. When she started running away, she did not notice that her son had not followed her, so Ms. Jackson had to return to get her son, according to the testimony.
Ms. Clemons and Ms. Jackson have had a history of violent interactions. Days prior to the shooting incident, they had a verbal altercation that Ms. Clemons said ended with Ms. Jackson driving a vehicle at her.
Both women also have previous convictions. Ms. Clemons was given a two-year sentence in 2010 after police said she led a group of females in separate physical attacks on Ashley Austin and Aisha Thompson. Ms. Austin was pregnant at the time and said that Ms. Clemons hit her in the stomach multiple times. Ms. Clemons was also charged with theft under $500 for shoplifting at Kmart in February. Ms. Jackson had several previous assault charges, including one assault on police charge.
After Judge Sell gave the ruling, she admonished all three women, saying “No wonder we have all of the gun problems that we do. Your three-year-olds are watching.”
She specifically asked Ms. Jackson “How do you forget your son?” She told them that as adults, what they did on their own time was their business, but said that it was not fair to bring their children into it. She said that ending violence needed to start with the mothers.
Several people sitting in the courtroom started to clap after these statements, but Judge Sell quieted them, saying “This isn't anything to be happy about,” and that they needed to fix their own homes.
Victoria Jackson