CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – A man has pleaded guilty in connection to a Charleston shooting that left a man dead in August 2022.

According to the Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Ja’Keith Kinnell, 18, pleaded guilty today, May 16, 2023, to a charge of second-degree murder in the shooting of 42-year-old James Hambrick. Kinnell was 17 years old at the time of the incident, and was initially not publicly named because he was a juvenile. His case was later elevated to an adult status.

The prosecutor’s office says Kinnell is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, 2023, to a 15-year binding sentence.

The incident happened on Aug. 5, 2022, at the intersection of 6th St. and Hunt Ave in Charleston. At the time, the Charleston Police Department said witnesses told them Hambrick was leaving an apartment when two vehicles pulled up and he “exchanged words” with the occupants. According to the CPD, witnesses stated the occupants pulled out firearms and began shooting at Hambrick.

Hambrick was shot in the head and taken to a local hospital in critical condition. He later died of his injury.