Man pleads guilty to firing gun outside of funeral

The man accused of firing a gun after getting into a fight outside a Columbia church where a funeral was taking place pleaded guilty earlier this month,

According to court records, John Cosey Jr. pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a weapon and fourth-degree assault, and was sentenced to 180 days in jail.

Court documents indicated witnesses told police that someone fired at least seven shots right outside Christian Fellowship Church, sending people running and screaming from the funeral.

The funeral was being held for Ahmonta Harris, who was killed last November during what the Boone County Sheriff’s Department called a home invasion robbery.

According to court documents, officers discovered a fight was happening just outside the entry doors of the church. An “unknown subject” punched Cosey and as that assault was happening, Cosey pulled a gun from his waistband and fired seven rounds toward the assailant, police said in a probable cause statement.

There were about 50 to 75 people in the vicinity when Cosey fired, the statement said. Police said he left the scene immediately after he fired the shots.

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