Cartevion Marquis Chapman has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing firearms following his involvement in two drive-by shootings. Chapman told investigators that, in one of the shootings, he and co-defendants got out of the car and “bullets went flying.” More than 40 spent shell casings were recovered from the area of the shooting.
The 34-year-old Springfield man was sentenced April 4 to nine years and seven months in federal prison without parole. The judge in the case was U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark. Chapman is also charged in a separate case in Greene County Circuit Court with unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm related to this incident.
Chapman pleaded guilty March 24, 2022, to being a felon in possession of firearms. He admitted to possessing a Smith & Wesson 9 mm semi-automatic pistol and a Kel-Tec pistol with an extended 30-round magazine on Dec. 6, 2020.
Chapman involved in shooting, retaliatory shooting
According to court documents, Chapman was involved in both a shooting and retaliatory shooting Dec. 5 and 6, 2020, over allegations of stolen drugs. His vehicle was damaged in a drive-by shooting at a nightclub in downtown Springfield Dec. 5. After leaving the nightclub, Chapman met with co-defendant Darris Lamar Mull, 38, of Springfield.
Mull received a phone call from his girlfriend, who said there were people with guns inside their house looking for Mull. He was upset because they went to his house when his kids were present. Chapman and Mull went to check on Mull’s girlfriend, then co-defendant Nicholas David Caligone, 44, of Springfield, drove them to an address on Kerr Street to find the people who had been at his house.
A press release said when they arrived at the Kerr Street residence at about 6 a.m. Dec. 6, Chapman told investigators, they got out of the car and “bullets went flying.” Chapman, Mull and others fired multiple rounds. Police officers recovered 40 spent shell casings from the area of the shooting. Shell casings were found in front of at least eight separate residences, indicating that Chapman and Mull sprayed the neighborhood with bullets. At least two homes had damage consistent with being struck by gunfire.
Chapman and Mull got into Caligone’s Volkswagen immediately after the shooting and left the area. Chapman hid his Kel-Tec firearm under the front passenger seat and put Mull’s Smith & Wesson pistol, which was stolen, in the glove box. Springfield police officers who heard the gunshots saw Caligone’s car at the intersection of East Kearney and North Delaware and conducted a felony stop. Caligone, Chapman and Mull, who was in the back passenger seat, were all arrested.
Chapman has prior felony convictions
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Chapman has two prior felony convictions for burglaries at businesses and prior felony convictions for aggravated assault and being a felon in possession of a firearm, for pointing a gun at the victim and her boyfriend and threatening them. Chapman was on probation for that firearm offense at the time of his arrest in this case. He also has 20 misdemeanor criminal convictions and multiple arrests that did not result in charges.
Mull pleaded guilty to four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and awaits sentencing. Caligone pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and awaits sentencing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI and the Springfield Police Department. It’s part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make neighborhoods safer.
