PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria man was sentenced to federal prison on Thursday after a drive-by shooting incident from February of 2023.
U.S District Judge James E. Shadid sentenced Tajurie Amir Bennett, 20, to 41 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a machine gun. He was also ordered to forfeit all weapons and ammunition involved, including a so-called “ghost gun” with no serial number.
Bennett and another person were reportedly involved in a drive-by shooting on W. Gift the afternoon of February 24th. Police responding to the scene found damage to the front of a house and on a gas utility line, along with bullet holes on a car on a nearby street.
Peoria Police officers found Bennett and attempted a traffic stop, but a chase ensued that ended in the area of War Memorial and Allen Road. Officers reportedly found the so-called “ghost gun” on the floorboard of the vehicle, loaded and equipped with a high-capacity extended magazine and a switch that enabled the weapon to fire as a machine gun.
Bennett plead guilty in June with no plea agreement. He could have received up to ten years in prison.




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