CHICAGO — A man charged with firing a gun near Wrigley Field after the Chicago Cubs clinched a playoff series in 2015 was sentenced Wednesday to seven years in prison.
Hoytuan Pierce, 33, was convicted in December of possessing a firearm as a felon. He faced a maximum of 10 years in federal prison.
Pierce was in the 3400 block of North Clark Street — one block south of Wrigley Field — when he fired a handgun around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 13, 2015, prosecutors said. No one was injured, even though the area was crowded with fans, officials said.
The incident happened just hours after the Cubs clinched the National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs would go on to face the New York Mets in the Championship Series, which they lost in four games.
“Gun-related deaths and injuries have taken an immeasurable toll on the citizens of the Northern District of Illinois over the past couple of years,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Cornelius Vandenberg argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Defendant’s actions on October 13, 2015, showed a blatant disregard for the safety of those around him.”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel repeatedly has asked federal officials to step up the number of federal prosecutions of gun crimes in Chicago as officials struggle to turn back the surge of violence that swept the city in 2016 and has shown no sign of abating.
