The man who drove the getaway car in a 2019 shooting that left one man seriously injured outside the Durham County Courthouse was sentenced to up to ten years in prison Monday.
Equaan Straiter was not the gunman on April 3, 2019, prosecutors say, but he was behind the wheel of the vehicle that the shooter sped away in.
Straiter, who is 30, appeared in court Friday and pleaded guilty to felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon, Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry announced in a press statement.
Police have accused Straiter’s co-defendant, Jordan Terrell, 26, of shooting the victim five times. The victim’s name was never made public by Deberry’s office. Terrell is awaiting federal prosecution in the case.
Lead prosecutor assistant district attorney Michael C. Wallace Sr. testified in court that the shooting occurred after the victim confronted Terrell inside the courthouse, where Terrell was due to appear on an unrelated matter.
Investigators say an altercation inside the courthouse began between the two men and continued in front of the building, where gunshots were fired.
Straiter drove a vehicle that fled the scene, Wallace said.
“This is one of the most brazen offenses for this shooting to take place at a courthouse, where these matters are usually sorted out,” Wallace said. “It was very volatile and more people could have been injured.”
