DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – A man who shot and killed a child will serve seven years in prison.
The shooting happened on Nov. 12, 2018, when 20-year-old Avante Flesch shot a 12-year-old child. The victim, Marqueius Gray, suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and later passed at Decatur Memorial Hospital.
Flesch told police the gun “accidentally discharged” while he was in a house, located in the 1100 block of N. Main St., that evening with Grey and the child’s two siblings. Flesch said he ran from the scene of the shooting because he was scared.
Police said Flesch was "playing" with the gun before the shot was fired.
Earlier in 2019, Flesh pleaded guilty to a Class 3 felony charge of involuntary manslaughter and a Class 2 count of possession of a weapon by a felon. In exchange for his plea, an aggravated unlawful use of a weapon charge was dropped.
On Tuesday, Flesch was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by one year of mandatory supervised release, then six years in prison and two years of mandatory supervised release. A judge ruled those sentences are to be served at the same time.
Flesch received credit for time served from Nov. 12, 2018 to Aug. 26, 2019.
