Man gets jail sentence for firing a gun during a fight at family party

YOUNGSTOWN — A man who fired a gun during a fight at a family party was sentenced today to a year in the Mahoning County jail.

Maurice Jones, 32, of Glenmont Avenue, received the sentence in Mahoning Common Pleas Court from Judge Lou D'Apolito.

Jones pleaded no contest and was found guilty on a charge of carrying a concealed weapon.

Reports said Jones was at a family party Jan. 17, 2016, at a home on Matta Avenue on the West Side when a fight broke out and Jones got involved.

At one point, police said, Jones pulled a gun and fired a shot, which wounded a person in the home.

Jones has a concealed-carry permit and no previous criminal record.

Judge D'Apolito said he did not think prison was necessary because of the lack of Jones' criminal record, but he said punishment is necessary because people who own guns legally need to know there are consequences if that gun is used in an illegal fashion.