Jackson, Miss. – A Biloxi man pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm during the commission of a robbery that killed three people, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.

According to court documents, Joshua Michael Garcia, 42, and co-defendant Jamison Layne Townsend went to Bill’s Coin & Jewelry in Hinds County on December 17, 2016, to rob the business using a firearm. During the robbery, Garcia shot and killed three employees of the business.

Garcia pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm that resulted in the murder of three persons during the commission of a robbery.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 22, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. in Jackson. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department with assistance from Geary County, Kansas Sheriff’s Department, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Mississippi State Crime Laboratory, the United States Marshal’s Service, the Gulfport Police Department, and the Biloxi Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Chalk.