Lexington 18-year-old indicted in shooting that left teen girl with collapsed lung

A Lexington man accused in a shooting that seriously injured a teenage girl in March was indicted this week on multiple charges.

J’Mere Bryant, 18, is charged with first-degree assault and two counts of wanton endangerment, according to court records. He was extradited to Lexington from Los Angeles on March 27 by the Fayette County sheriff’s office.

Police were called to the area of Fourth Street at North Broadway near Transylvania University at about 3:35 p.m. on March 1 when several people reported that they heard multiple gunshots and saw two vehicles speed off, according to court records. One of the vehicles was described as a white Chevrolet Impala and the other was reported as a dark Toyota Camry.

A short while after the call, a shooting victim was taken to the University of Kentucky Good Samaritan Hospital. The victim, a 17-year-old girl, was transferred to UK’s Chandler Hospital with a collapsed lung, according to court records.

Officers responding to Good Samaritan Hospital saw a white Impala with several bullet holes in the parking garage, according to court records. Police found the owner of the car and interviewed him.

The owner of the Impala, identified as Devonta Jones, told police that he and his juvenile girlfriend were in the Impala near his home on Michigan Street when they saw a person they knew driving toward them. Jones and his girlfriend ducked down to the floorboard and heard loud gunshots before the suspects drove away, according to court records.

After the shots were fired, Jones’ neighbor got in the car with Jones and his girlfriend and the three drove away, according to court records.

Jones told police he was stopped in traffic in the area of Fourth Street and North Broadway when he saw the suspects again pulling up next to his vehicle. As shots were fired, Jones ducked to the floorboard and waited for the suspects to drive off, according to court records.

After the shots stopped, Jones saw that his girlfriend had been struck and “immediately drove her to the nearest hospital he could find,” according to court records.

Bryant was released on bond in April, according to court records. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Fayette County Circuit Court on June 14.

This story was originally published June 4, 2019 at 3:37 PM.