Jeremiah Jermaine Debnam, a 30-year-old from Raleigh, North Carolina, has been sentenced to 154 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. This follows an incident where he shot and pistol-whipped a victim in a shopping center parking lot. Debnam entered his guilty plea on October 28, 2024.
"Raleigh is one of the safest large cities in America and we aim to keep it that way," stated U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. "We have a team of prosecutors dedicated to driving down gun violence in this city, meeting consistently with law enforcement to keep violent shooters off our streets and engaging with community groups to get resources for victims."
The incident occurred on July 5, 2023, when officers from the Raleigh Police Department responded to reports of a shooting at New Bern Avenue's shopping center parking lot. The victim was found with two gunshot wounds and identified Debnam as the attacker using the street name "Oosie."
Investigations revealed that Debnam had engaged in a verbal altercation with the victim before assaulting him with a firearm and shooting him twice. Following the attack, Debnam fled but left behind several shell casings.
On July 6, 2023, information from a confidential source led officers to stop a vehicle on New Bern Avenue where Debnam was riding as a passenger. Upon stopping the vehicle, Debnam fled on foot and discarded a gun during his escape attempt. He was captured shortly after by officers who recovered the stolen loaded weapon nearby.
A forensic analysis confirmed that both shell casings from the crime scene and the firearm discarded by Debnam were linked through ballistic testing. Further investigation showed his DNA on both the gun and its magazine.
At his arrest time, authorities discovered less than one gram of fentanyl concealed on him. Later at Wake County Detention Center processing revealed more crack cocaine hidden by Debnam.
Debnam's criminal record includes previous felony convictions related to drug offenses dating back over ten years along with being out on supervised release since January after serving time for conspiracy charges involving cocaine distribution.
Michael F. Easley Jr., announced these details following sentencing proceedings overseen by U.S District Judge Louise W Flanagan; this case was investigated jointly between ATF alongside local police efforts while prosecution handled expertly under Assistant U S attorney Jennifer C Nucci’s guidance
