Man sentenced to more than 46 years in prison for 2023 Springfield summer murder

A man found guilty this month of shooting and killing a Springfield man in August has been sentenced to 46½ years to life in prison.

Jerrel Fleming, 38, was found guilty by a jury of murder with two firearm specifications, second-degree felonious assault with two firearm specifications, first-degree felony discharging a firearm on or near prohibited premises with two firearm specifications, fourth-degree felony improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and third-degree felony having weapons while under disability.

In August, Springfield police responded to North Spring and East North streets regarding a traffic accident and gunshots heard in the area. Rakeem Ford, 32, was found in a parking lot near 150 N. Limestone St., the Springfield post office.

According to an affidavit to obtain a search warrant in Franklin County, traffic camera footage in Springfield showed the driver of a Chevrolet Equinox open the window before shooting several times at Ford’s Nissan Altima and driving off.

According to the affidavit, Ford fled from his car after it crashed and “went down” in the parking lot behind the post office. The Chevrolet Equinox followed him into the lot, and shell casings and a piece of the car’s front bumper were found at the scene.

Ford died of his injuries at the hospital, according to the affidavit.

Police arrested two passengers, Charles Ingledue and Anthony Lane, near Ford’s Nissan Altima, according to the document. Lane was arrested on outstanding warrants, and Ingledue on a having weapons while under disability charge.

Shell casings were found in the street and throughout the scene, and, in the backseat of the Nissan, Springfield police officers found a gun with an empty magazine and an iPhone that had in alert saying it had been in a vehicle accident and had contacted police, according to the affidavit.

According to the document, an SPD officer had seen the two cars chasing each other at a high rate of speed. There were also 911 calls reporting shots fired at East and Rice streets and at Wayside Tavern.

Fleming had been shot on July 5 on West Main Street, according to the affidavit. He was transported to Mercy Health - Springfield and throughout the course of the investigation, he posted on Snapchat that he would “seek revenge,” according to the document.

“Information was passed on to the Springfield Police Division that Fleming suspected Rakeem ‘Killa’ Ford as one of the suspects that shot him, giving him motive to want to kill Rakeem Ford,” the affidavit stated.

Fleming is believed to be the driver of the Chevrolet on Aug. 7 after review of video footage showed a matching windshield sticker, a missing front license plate and damaged front bumper matching the car that took him home from the hospital when he was shot in July and the car seen in Ford’s shooting.

Fleming was acquitted of one murder charge. He received 269 days of jail time credit.

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