Illinois man sentenced for shooting victim in face during dinner break, prosecutors say
The Brief
Ahmad Steele, 38, of DeKalb, was sentenced to 45 years in prison for shooting a man in the face during a dinner break outside their West Chicago workplace in 2021.
The victim survived after undergoing five surgeries but later died in 2023 from an unrelated illness, according to prosecutors.
Steele was convicted of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm and must serve 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole.
DEKALB, Ill. - A DeKalb man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for shooting another man in the face during a dinner break outside their workplace in West Chicago, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney.
What we know
Ahmad Steele, 38, was sentenced Wednesday following his March 21 conviction on one count of attempted first-degree murder and one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, prosecutors said.
The jury deliberated for about two hours before returning the guilty verdict.
The backstory
The charges stem from a shooting on Jan. 28, 2021, outside Mapei Corporation on Industrial Drive.
West Chicago police responded around 7:50 p.m. to a report of a man with a facial injury and found the victim walking in the building's parking lot with an apparent gunshot wound to his face.
The man was taken to a nearby hospital, where he underwent five surgeries to reconstruct his jaw. He died in 2023 from an unrelated illness, prosecutors said.
An investigation revealed the victim had been sitting in his vehicle during a dinner break when a Chevrolet Blazer parked nearby. The driver—later identified as Steele—got out carrying a shotgun, approached the driver's side of the victim's car and fired into it, prosecutors said.
Steele returned to his vehicle but came back a second time, raised the shotgun again, and then left the scene.
Charges Filed
On Feb. 6, 2021, Naperville police spotted the Blazer driving on Route 59 and pulled it over. Steele was taken into custody for driving with a revoked license.
He was later charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery on Feb. 11, 2021. He has remained in custody without bond at the DuPage County Jail since then.
What they're saying
"On a cold January evening, for no apparent reason at all, Ahmad Steele approached a man unknown to him as he sat in his car on dinner break, and shot him in the face with a shotgun," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said. "While the motive for this extremely violent, unprovoked attack may never be known, we do know the physical and emotional pain Mr. Steele inflicted on an innocent man forever changed his life. The randomness of this horrific act of violence shook an entire community to its core and we are all thankful that Mr. Steele will more than likely spend what amounts to the rest of his life behind bars, away from society, where he will be unable to harm anyone ever again. I thank Assistant State's Attorneys Nick Catizone, Heather Misura and Kelsey Kerr for their efforts in holding Mr. Steele responsible for his actions."
What's next
Steele must serve 85% of his sentence before he is eligible for parole, prosecutors said.
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