Man who fired gun during May 2020 protests in downtown gets 5 years in federal prison
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Update: Tyrone Ross was sentenced Monday, June 6 to five years imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for the crime. He entered a guilty plea in February.
A 29-year-old man is facing federal charges after prosecutors say he fired a gun several times in downtown Indianapolis last summer during protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
The United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Indiana on Friday said a federal grand jury indicted Tyrone Ross on a charge of felon in possession of a firearm stemming from his actions May 30 while protesting Floyd's murder at the hands of Minneapolis police.
According to the Department of Justice, security cameras at the Birch Bayh Federal Building on Ohio Street about 11:15 p.m. "captured a group of approximately seven individuals who began assembling on federal property at the southeast corner of the federal building."
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The indictment alleges that, as the group began walking west on Ohio Street, a man later identified as Ross "pulled out a firearm from under his clothing and fired at least four shots" across the street toward Yolk restaurant. Prosecutors say the street was "filled with pedestrians and vehicles" at the time and noted people began to run in all directions.
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Ross, the indictment says, ran toward the federal building's southwest corner at the intersection of Ohio and Meridian streets and "fired at least one additional round" into the air while on federal property.
“Randomly shooting a gun across a busy street and crowded sidewalk at any time is senseless and reckless,” Acting U.S. Attorney John E. Childress said in a statement. “This type of behavior cannot be justified or tolerated in a civil society and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Ross faces a maximum $250,000 fine, 10 years in prison and three years supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
IndyStar reporter Johnny Magdaleno contributed.
Contact Lawrence Andrea at 317-775-4313 or landrea@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @lawrencegandrea.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Man who fired gun during 2020 protests gets 5 years in federal prison
