TEXARKANA -- A jury has convicted a man of manslaughter in the shooting death of a patron at a southwest Arkansas nightclub on New Year's Day 2012.
The Miller County jury rejected convictions of first-degree or second-degree murder for James "CoCo" Williams, instead picking the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Williams was accused in the fatal shooting of George Eugene Foster, 45, at a club in Garland.
The Texarkana Gazette reported that the jury Thursday recommended the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for Williams.
Williams testified that he had been pushed outside the club but could see his brother on the floor. He says he fired his gun in an attempt to scare people blocking the club's entrance, but the bullet struck Foster.
State Desk on 05/31/2014
