Atlantic County authorities said Louis Stokes, 27, of Barnegat, was sentenced on September 24 on charges of second-degree aggravated assault, second-degree possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose, and third-degree hindering apprehension. Under a plea agreement, Stokes received an aggregate sentence of five years in New Jersey State Prison, with 85% parole ineligibility under the No Early Release Act and the Graves Act. After his release, he will be subject to three years of intensive parole supervision. According to authorities, shortly before midnight on October 14, 2022, Atlantic City police responded to Sewell Avenue in Atlantic City and found a gunshot victim. The victim had been shot once in the leg and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators found eight expended 9mm shell casings nearby in the area of Pennsylvania and Adriatic Avenues. Surveillance video showed a group of men in the area before they fled into a home together, officials said. Authorities said Stokes was arrested after leaving the home. A consent search uncovered three handguns, including a stolen 9mm handgun that ballistics testing later determined was used in the shooting. Investigators said the gun had been hidden outside a second-floor window on an adjacent exterior windowsill. Officials said Stokes' DNA was found on two of the handguns, and an eyewitness identified him as the shooter. During his guilty plea, authorities said, Stokes admitted under oath that he shot the victim with the handgun and then hid it to hinder his apprehension.