New trial date set for 2024 in deadly shooting of former Gwinnett coach

It was the third day of testimony when the defense asked for a mistrial “based on an improper comment made by the prosecutor, incorrectly attributing a statement to one of the defendants, implicating himself and a co-defendant,” Superior Court Judge Tamela Adkins wrote in her order granting the motion.

The prosecution’s exact comment was not stated in the order, but Adkins said in court that she thought the comment was so improper that it prejudiced the jury and there was no other remedy than to grant the request for a mistrial.

“I can’t unring the bell,” she said.

In a statement, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office said the decision to grant the mistrial was based on a “technical issue within the legal proceedings” and vowed to retry the case. The new trial has been set for the week of Sept. 16, 2024, according to court records.

Coleman, who was living in Louisiana at the time of his death, was in town visiting his young daughter, according to his friends and family. He was putting air in his tires at a QuikTrip in Peachtree Corners when a group of men tried to steal his Dodge Charger, according to Gwinnett police. He was killed while trying to fight them off.

The Norcross High School graduate was a former football coach at Peachtree Ridge High School.

The suspects also were being tried for gang offenses, with the state alleging that the trio was part of the Bloods gang and planned to take Coleman’s vehicle by force in order to help the gang and to maintain or increase their status.

After the mistrial was declared, Coleman’s mother, Venetia Coleman, told Channel 2 Action News that “it was an unfortunate situation that happened, but we understand that a delay is not a denial.”