Retrial starts in killing of Gwinnett coach, father
Bradley Coleman was filling his tires with air on July 10, 2022, when three men attempted to carjack him at a QuikTrip.
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Opening statements began Wednesday in the retrial of three men accused of killing Bradley Coleman, a beloved father and high school football coach, in a deadly 2022 carjacking in Gwinnett County.
The suspects, Josiah Hughley, Miles Collins, and David Jarrad Booker, face multiple charges, including murder, car hijacking, aggravated assault, and gang-related offenses. The retrial follows a mistrial in 2023, which the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office attributed to a “technical issue within the legal proceedings.”
The incident occurred on July 10, 2022, at a QuikTrip gas station on Peachtree Parkway. As Coleman was pumping air into his tires, one suspect allegedly got in on the driver’s side of Coleman’s car, attempting to steal it. He then got in on the passenger’s side, and officers said the two began to fight. Authorities said a second suspect from the carjacker’s car also joined the fight. That’s when the deadly shot was fired.
Prosecutors have alleged that the suspects’ actions were part of a broader gang-related scheme, though defense attorneys challenged those claims.
Following opening statements, Coleman’s mother, Venetia Coleman, testified, describing her son as a dedicated father and a positive influence in the community.
Watch the moment below | The story continues after the video
Coleman coached basketball and football at Mountain View High School and Peachtree Ridge High School before he returned to Louisiana and started a fashion brand. The 29-year-old coach also left behind a young daughter.
Friends and loved ones described him as someone who “always stood out.”
“Quiet man, a purposeful young man and loved by all,” Coleman’s childhood friend Penny Poole said. “That is not just a casual statement. That is truth beyond measure.
The court is expected to hear testimony from witnesses, law enforcement officials, and legal experts in the coming days.
Watch the full day of proceedings below.
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