ZANESVILLE – A drive-by shooting in February resulted in a rapid-fire plea hearing and sentencing for one Zanesville man.
Malik Jessemiah Gauan Gibson, 21, pleaded guilty March 17 to felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and having weapons under disability, a third-degree felony. He was immediately sentenced to 15 years in prison, noted an announcement from the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office.
On Feb. 2, Zanesville police responded to multiple reports of shots fired into a Muskingum County apartment building.
According to one witness, a minivan turned onto the apartment’s road, as one man, later identified as Gibson, reportedly started yelling, opened fire through a window and then sped away, the announcement stated. At the scene, officers found four bullet holes in front of one of the units as well as eight spent 9mm casings in the road.
Gibson was later interviewed by detectives, and he admitted to being inside the van during the time of the shooting, the prosecutor’s office said. He was arrested and found with a 9mm casing that matched the ones from the scene.
Police executed a search warrant at Gibson’s home and found several bullet holes within the residence, along with Hornady 9mm casings and ammo. Gibson later told detectives he purchased the handgun from one of the building’s residents, but as the relationship soured he attempted to shoot the victim’s apartment, the announcement explained.
Gibson was charged through a bill of information, which skipped a grand jury. He was previously held in the Muskingum County Jail.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Guilty plea brings immediate 15-year sentence for drive-by shooting
Reporting by Shawn Digity, Staff Reports / Zanesville Times Recorder
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
