DECATUR — A Decatur street gang member accused of taking part in a vehicle ambush which saw bullets sprayed all over a city street has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
Ernest L. Beasley, 34, pleaded guilty in Macon County Circuit Court to unlawful possession of a firearm by a street gang member.
The admission was part of a plea deal negotiated by defense attorney Bryan McIntyre that saw additional charges accusing Beasley of being an armed habitual criminal and two counts of being a felon in possession of a weapon dismissed by Judge Jeffrey Geisler.
The judge also dismissed two further charges alleging the aggravated discharge of a gun in the shooting incident, which dates to April 19, 2023, in the 1200 block of South Silas Street.
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A sworn affidavit filed by the Decatur Police Department said Beasley, a known member of the city’s East Side gang, was one of three men who pulled up behind a car and peppered it with gunfire.
Officer Clayton Zilz, who signed the affidavit, said police obtained surveillance footage that showed the shooting taking place. “The black Jeep (identified as Beasley’s vehicle) is observed to be occupied by at least four subjects,” Zilz said.
“A white male exits the rear driver side, a black male exits the rear passenger side and a black male exits the front passenger side of the Jeep.
“The black male exiting the front passenger side of the Jeep is the only one of the three subjects who is not wearing a facial covering. All three subjects who exit the Jeep appear to be shooting in the direction of the blue sedan stopped in front of it. In the footage, the blue sedan appears to be struck multiple times by fired projectiles …”
And while no one was listed as being hurt, Zilz said bullets were flying everywhere, striking the windshield of an occupied car nearby and hitting two homes occupied by two women. Police later recovered 29 spent bullet casings and three live rounds from the roadway.
Zilz said Beasley was identified as the shooter with the uncovered face and he had been found and arrested just over a month after the shooting happened.
“Beasley is a known gun offender, felon and a known ‘East Side’ gang member,” said Zilz. “The East Side and South Side (gang) have been engaged in a long feud which has resulted in multiple homicides in this community.”
Zilz noted Beasley has “two prior charges and zero convictions” for homicide along with previous convictions for armed robbery and being a felon in possession of a weapon.
Beasley had been due to face a jury trial on the latest charges April 16 but changed his mind on the day of the trial and took the plea deal. Passing sentence, Judge Jeffrey Geisler also agreed to recommend the defendant for drug abuse treatment during his incarceration.