CHICAGO — A chilling scene unfolded at Evergreen Cemetery in Evergreen Park on Nov. 22, 2017, when ELSTON STEVENSON, 57, fired a gun into the grave of a murder victim during his burial service. Stevenson’s actions sent shockwaves through the community and left mourners shaken.
According to reports, Stevenson drew a handgun and made a threat towards the mourners before firing a single shot into the grave. He then waved the gun in their direction as he fled the service. Stevenson was arrested a short time later near the entrance of the cemetery.
Stevenson pleaded guilty to one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr., imposed the 15-year sentence on July 1, 2020, in federal court in Chicago.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cornelius A. Vandenberg argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum, “When a felon brings a loaded gun to a populated area and uses the gun to threaten and endanger strangers, this conduct will not be tolerated.”
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Kristen deTineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The case is part of the Project Guardian and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiatives, which focus on holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution.
The Project Guardian initiative emphasizes the importance of using modern technologies to promote gun crime intelligence, and the PSN program attacks a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district.
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Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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