An Alabama teen has pleaded guilty to shooting his unarmed stepfather earlier this year in Lamar County.

Marquese Donshae Gunter, a 19-year-old with strong support from family and online bloggers, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and was granted probation and court-ordered anger management treatment, 24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Andy Hamlin announced Friday.

The victim, Travis Smith, survived the shooting.

“Questions later arose regarding whether Mr. Gunter acted to protect his mother,” Hamlin said. “While investigators examined all possible scenarios, the evidence did not support that theory.”

The shooting happened shortly before 6 p.m. on Jan. 23, 2025.

Gunter, Smith and Gunter’s mother all lived together in an apartment at the time.

Sulligent police arrived to fi

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