Source: Office of United States Attorneys
RALEIGH, N.C. – Jeremiah Jermaine Debnam, a 30-year-old resident of Raleigh has been sentenced to 154 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after shooting and pistol-whipping a victim in a shopping center parking lot. Debnam pled guilty on October 28, 2024.
“Raleigh is one of the safest large cities in America and we aim to keep it that way,” said 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.”
According to court documents and other information reviewed, on July 5, 2023, officers with the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) responded to a call regarding a shooting in the parking lot of a shopping center on New Bern Avenue in Raleigh. Upon arrival, officers found the victim lying on the ground with two gunshot wounds. The victim identified his assailant as a man who went by the street name “Oosie,” later identified as Debnam.
Law enforcement learned that Debnam and the victim had engaged in a verbal confrontation. During this confrontation, Debnam struck the victim with a firearm multiple times before shooting him twice. After the shooting, Debnam fled the scene. Officers collected several shell casings near the area where the victim was found as part of their investigation.
On July 6, 2023, law enforcement received information from a confidential source indicating that Debnam was a passenger in a vehicle traveling on New Bern Avenue in Raleigh. RPD officers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle. As it came to a stop, Debnam jumped out and fled on foot. Officers pursued him and saw him discard a gun as he was fleeing. Debnam discarded the gun while fleeing. He was apprehended shortly thereafter, and officers later found a stolen, loaded 9mm pistol in the woods near where he was arrested. A search of Debnam’s person revealed less than one gram of fentanyl concealed in a dollar bill. Following his processing at the Wake County Detention Center, an additional amount of crack cocaine was discovered on him, which he had attempted to hide.
A forensic analysis determined that both the firearm seized from Debnam on July 6, 2023, and the shell casings collected from the shooting scene on July 5, 2023, were fired from the same weapon. A federal search warrant was then obtained for Debnam’s DNA, leading to the discovery that his DNA was found on the firearm and in the magazine.
At the time of his arrest, Debnam was found to have prior felony convictions. He was on supervised release after being convicted in federal court in 2018 for conspiracy to possess a quantity of cocaine base (crack) with intent to distribute and aiding and abetting. Debnam was released from federal prison on January 18, 2023, and arrested again on March 14, 2023, for possessing counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine by RPD. He was released on a state bond. The investigation revealed that Debnam has a criminal history dating back to 2010, including convictions for drug offenses, assaults, larcenies, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Raleigh Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer C. Nucci prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for case number 5:23-CR-00259-FL and 5:18-CR-49-3FL.