Decatur teenager accused of pointing stolen, loaded gun at friend during argument
DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — A Decatur teenager is facing gun charges after police said a game he was playing led to an argument with a friend. During that argument, the teen allegedly pulled out a loaded gun and pointed it at his friend.
Macon County court records show that Nicholas Ellis, age 18, is charged with two felony counts: aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a stolen firearm, which are both Class 2 felonies. In addition, he is charged with a Class A misdemeanor count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
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The charges stem from an incident on Feb. 24 that happened between Ellis and a teenage friend. In a sworn statement obtained by WCIA, a Decatur Police officer identified the teenager only by the initials LP.
LP said Ellis was at his home and the two of them started arguing over the game they were playing.
'LP stated that he observed Nicholas to pull out a Derringer 2-round .22 magnum caliber which was located in Nicholas' right pants pocket,' the officer said. 'LP stated that Nicholas was waving the firearm in the air and then pointed the loaded firearm at LP's head.'
The officer said LP punched Ellis in self-defense and a physical brawl started before Ellis put the gun back in his pocket and left.
LP further told officers that some of the ammunition inside the gun had come from a box on his desk in his room. Officers found 28 .22 rounds in that box.
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Officers then went to Ellis' home, where he originally denied any allegations of presenting or possessing a gun inside his friend's home. When officers received a search warrant to Ellis' home, they found the Derringer .22 magnum with two rounds in the gun and five more in a bag; the officer who signed the sworn statement said they were the same type of rounds found in LP's home.
'During a mirandized interview, Nicholas admitted to the firearm being his as well as him purchasing ammo for that firearm,' the officer said. 'A search of the firearm through LEADS showed that the firearm was reported stolen out of Waterloo, Iowa. A check of Nicholas through LEADS showed that he does not posses a valid FOID or Conceal Carry Permit.'
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Ellis was arrested that night and was booked on the three counts he was later formally charged on. In addition, officers learned he was on pretrial release in another court case involving misdemeanor battery.
Appearing in court the day after his arrest, Ellis was denied pretrial release in the new case against him and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for March 12.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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