Illinois man convicted of shooting stranger in the face during 2021 attack
Ahmad Steele | DuPage County State's Attorney's Office
WEST CHICAGO, Ill. - A DeKalb man was found guilty of shooting an innocent man in the face during his work break in 2021, officials announced Friday.
Ahmad Steele, 38, was convicted of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm, both Class X felonies. The attempted murder charge carries a mandatory firearm enhancement of 25 years to natural life.
The DuPage County jury returned its verdict after approximately two hours of deliberation following a three-day trial.
"Unprovoked" attack
The backstory:
According to prosecutors, the shooting occurred on Jan. 28, 2021, around 7:50 p.m. at Mapei Corporation on Industrial Drive in West Chicago. The victim had been sitting in his vehicle during his dinner break when Steele arrived in a Chevrolet Blazer and parked several spaces away. Steele then exited his vehicle armed with a shotgun, approached the victim’s car, and fired into the driver’s side, striking the victim in the face.
After the initial shot, Steele returned to his vehicle before approaching the victim’s car a second time, raising his shotgun again before ultimately fleeing the scene. The victim was discovered by police in the building’s parking lot and transported to a hospital for treatment. He underwent five surgeries to reconstruct his jaw but later died from an unrelated illness in 2023.
On Feb. 6, 2021, Naperville police spotted his Steele's Chevrolet Blazer on Route 59. Officers pulled Steele over and arrested him for driving on a revoked license. He was charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm on Feb. 11, 2021, and has remained in custody at the DuPage County Jail since.
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin condemned the attack, calling it a "violent, unprovoked" act that caused "unimaginable physical and emotional pain" to the victim.
What's next:
Steele is scheduled to appear in court on April 29 for post-trial motions. He faces a prison sentence ranging from 31 years to natural life in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The Source: The information in this story came from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office and our previous reporting.