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Peoria, Illinois – Tajurie Amir Bennett, 20, of Peoria, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a machine gun. Additionally, he was ordered to forfeit all firearms and ammunition involved, including a 9mm “ghost gun” pistol without a serial number.

Key Points

• On February 24, 2023, at about 2:30 p.m., Bennett and an accomplice committed a drive-by shooting on West Gift Avenue in Peoria, Illinois.
• The ShotSpotter gun detection system alerted to 15 rounds of fully automatic gunfire.
• Police discovered damage from gunfire on a house and a nearby gas utility line, as well as bullet holes in a car on an adjacent street.
• Peoria Police located the suspect vehicle and attempted a traffic stop. Bennett, the sole occupant, fled, driving into oncoming traffic at high speed.
• Police officers in covert vehicles tracked Bennett’s vehicle. At a red light at War Memorial Drive and Allen Road, they boxed in the vehicle.
• Bennett rammed his vehicle into police cars and nearly hit an officer. Police then extricated him from the car.
• Officers found a loaded 9mm “ghost gun” with a high-capacity magazine and an auto-sear, known as a “switch,” on the car's floorboard, making it a fully automatic machine gun.
• A federal criminal complaint was filed against Bennett in February 2023, followed by a one-count indictment in March 2023.
• Bennett pled guilty with no plea agreement in June 2023 and has been in U.S. Marshals Service custody since his arrest.