Men Who Planned to Shoot up Graduation Ceremony Plead Guilty
(OCSO, March 10, 2026)
Pontiac, MI – Two Pontiac men accused of planning a mass shooting at a high school graduation in 2025 have April sentencing dates after each pleading guilty to multiple felony charges.
Jamarion Jaryante Hardiman, 21, and Deahveon Shamar-James Whaley, 20, were each convicted of carrying a concealed weapon, carrying a firearm with unlawful intent and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
The two men were accused of planning to shoot into the crowd after the graduation ceremonies for a Pontiac charter school that was held on June 3, 2025, at UWM Sports Complex on South Boulevard in Pontiac.
Neither man was a student at the charter school.
“The combination of quick response and solid police work combined with our partnership at UWM was able to prevent a mass shooting at a school graduation,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said today. “I am proud of the teamwork and glad the responsible defendants will be held to account.”
Whaley’s sentencing is set for April 7 in Oakland County Circuit Court. Hardiman’s sentencing is set for April 14.
An altercation between two males broke out in a venue bathroom during the graduation. UWM security broke up the fight and instructed the combatants to leave.
The two later resumed the fight in the parking lot, prompting complex security to summon sheriff’s deputies to assist in monitoring the graduation ceremony.
Hardiman and Whaley planned to open fire during the Arts and Technology Academy of Pontiac graduation. The plan was reportedly foiled when deputies arrived at the complex.
Deputies arrived and discovered that Hardiman and Whaley had placed items under vehicles parked in the lot. Deputies discovered a backpack with a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic handgun with a 40-round drum magazine. A second firearm with an extended magazine was found under another vehicle in the parking lot.
NOTE: Police and Fire Reports come directly from the agency involved and are written by the person or agency listed below the title. We generally run these “as is” or with minimal editing for punctuation, spelling, etc. Suspects should not be presumed guilty. Those needing more information about a case are encouraged to follow up with the reporting agency or court system for the most current information.
This story is presented without internal advertising due to the nature of the story.
Save this post to PDF
Print this post