Dawson attorney: Reports tying city manager to shooting not true

DAWSON — Dawson City Attorney Tommy Coleman denied media reports Thursday alleging City Manager Barney Parnacot was involved the shooting/attempted murder of former Mayor Chris Wright.

Wright remained in critical condition for some time after being shot at least five times at his Dawson home in 2013. He later recovered and remained in office until he was removed in 2016 by Gov. Nathan Deal after being indicted on charges of aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, rape, child molestation and statutory rape.

According to recent reports, during a plea hearing in Randolph County, one of the men indicted for shooting Wright, Lashawn Moore, accused Parnacot of paying him to kill Wright.

“This is nothing new. We heard these allegations when they were made and they are not true,” Coleman said Thursday. “There is also a credibility issue here. Moore was taken out of jail in Albany for bank robbery so they could take him over there so he could plea to aggravated assault.”

In response to Moore’s allegations, several protesters, including Wright, marched outside the NAACP office in Dawson Wednesday demanding change.

“There was a rumor mill that swirled around this,” Coleman said. “I believe this is nothing more than vicious allegations. There is no open investigation of Barney or anything like that.”

According to Coleman, there is no evidence that he is aware of that corroborated Moore’s story or connected Parnacot to the shooting.

“The way the DA put it to me was that if they thought this had happened, Barney would already be in jail,” Coleman said.

Joe Bellacomo