Man Convicted of 4 Firearm Charges After Shooting Gun Into Street
NORFOLK, Va. — Jamie Katrell Chapman, 27, was convicted on Wednesday of two felony and two misdemeanor firearm-related charges after he pleaded guilty to shooting a gun in the street near the Ghent Square area last fall.
On Oct. 6, 2024, Norfolk Police patrol officers were near the intersection of West Princess Anne Road and Llewellyn Avenue when they heard multiple gunshots. After searching the area, the officers saw two individuals dressed in all black walking across the parking lot of the Ghent School. Both individuals took off running when they saw the officers, and the officers were able to detain one of them, who was identified as Mr. Chapman. Mr. Chapman admitted that he had a firearm concealed in his waistband and that he had been shooting it into the street. Mr. Chapman told the officers that he was doing so in remembrance of a friend who had recently died. Mr. Chapman, however, is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.
Based on their investigation, police secured charges against Mr. Chapman for felony carrying of a concealed weapon, being a felon in possession of a firearm, misdemeanor reckless handling of a firearm, and misdemeanor discharging of a firearm in a public place. On Wednesday, Mr. Chapman agreed to plead guilty to those charges, and Judge Everett A. Martin Jr. accepted his plea agreement. There is no agreement to Mr. Chapman’s sentence, which will be decided by Judge Martin on March 21.
“Celebratory gunfire or commemorative gunfire is still gunfire. It is dangerous and unnecessary, and an accidental bullet can kill as much as an intentional one,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Mr. Chapman should never have had a gun in the first place, and by attracting attention he brought his arrest on himself. People who are felons cannot possess guns, and we will continue to hold accountable the people who possess and use guns illegally.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Wm. Joshua Holder prosecuted Mr. Chapman’s case, and Norfolk Police Officer Stanislaw Szczepanski led the investigation.
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