CHICAGO — A man was sentenced on Tuesday to nine years for shooting another man near a downtown Chicago hotel two years ago.
Jeaun Tapley, 32, received the sentence from Judge Michael Clancy after pleading guilty to aggravated battery by discharging a firearm, according to court records. Prosecutors dropped five counts of attempted murder in exchange for his plea.
Surveillance video showed Tapley dropping someone off near the W Hotel City Center in the 100 block of West Adams and driving away around 2 a.m. on July 17, 2021, prosecutors said at the time.
The person who got out of Tapley’s car went to a nearby McDonald’s walk-up window, where he got involved in an argument with several people and swung his fist at someone in line for food.
Before long, Tapley pulled back up in front of the hotel, walked into the McDonald’s, and walked a woman out of the restaurant, officials said. Tapley then pulled out a gun and fired shots at people outside the restaurant.
The victim, a 25-year-old man, was shot twice in the arm and once in the chest. Both bones in one of his forearms were broken. Prosecutors said Tapley returned to his car and drove away after the shooting.
An initial media statement from the Chicago Police Department said the shooter was a woman. But prosecutors later claimed that McDonald’s surveillance cameras recorded the shooting and clearly showed Tapley’s distinct hairstyle and a physical handicap on his arm. And video from the hotel showed his car’s license plate, they said.
He earned 736 days of credit toward his sentence while in custody. His parole date has not been announced.