A Eupora man has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for his illegal possession and discharge of a weapon on the campus of Eupora High School in March of 2018.
Nathaniel Cole Breazeale, 20, was sentenced April 15 by Chief U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock to serve 71 months in prison stemming from his discharge of a pistol at EHS during school hours on March 28, 2018.
An announcement regarding Breazeale’s sentence was made by Dana Nichols, ATF New Orleans Field Division Special Agent in Charge and U.S. Attorney William C. Lamar. Breazeale, who was represented by attorney Kevin Horan of Grenada, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Oxford.
Information presented as part of the case showed that shortly before school dismissal that March day, Breazeale drove a motorbike onto the Eupora High grounds, where he drove erratically around the band practice field before pulling out a 9mm pistol, firing multiple shots at the school building and driving away on West Clark Street in the direction of the elementary school.
Testimony revealed that at least one of the rounds fired by Breazeale struck a van, in which a parent sat waiting for her children. Students and parents who were outside the band hall waiting for dismissal ran for cover and the high school was placed on lockdown as a result of the incident.
Meanwhile, as anxious parents waited, elementary school students who had already boarded school buses bound for the high school were required to remain on board the buses in the high school parking lot until the scene was secured and cleared by law enforcement. Local, state and federal officers and agents responded to the chaotic scene and collected a total of six 9mm shell casings from the scene.
Breazeale was taken into custody that afternoon and remained detained without bond after his initial appearance in federal court.
Protecting public
In sentencing Breazeale to the 71-month sentence along with three years of supervised release, Aycock noted that the need to “protect the public” was a “major factor” in her decision to impose the six-year sentence.
Breazeale, who pled guilty Nov. 7 to being a prohibited person, and specifically a habitual user of narcotics in possession of a firearm, faced a maximum of 10 years in prison. Aycock ordered Breazeale to undergo drug treatment as a part of his supervised release and recommended that he receive treatment while incarcerated.
Breazeale was 19 at the time of sentencing but has since turned 20. As part of his plea agreement, the government dismissed two other counts against him of possession of an unregistered firearm and carrying or using a firearm in or near a school zone.
A Webster County grand jury indicted him last May on state charges of drive-by shooting and possession of a stolen firearm (a Ruger 10/22 rifle owned by Connie Johnson). Breazeale said in a waiver of arraignment that he is not guilty of those charges. That case has been continued until May 28 in Webster County Circuit Court.
Positive message
Lamar emphasized the commitment of his office to hold accountable individuals who threaten the safety of the community and our schools through lawless and reckless acts.
“We are committed to doing everything within our power to keep our schools and communities safe. The possession and discharge of a weapon on a school campus demonstrates an extreme and reckless disregard for the safety of students, teachers and parents,” Lamar remarked.
“In the instant case, the individual discharging the gun was prohibited by law from even possessing a firearm or ammunition. We will continue to work diligently with our local, state and federal partners to enforce the federal firearms laws and to hold accountable those who use firearms to threaten the safety and well-being of our communities, and particularly our schools,” he added.
“The outcome of this prosecution is sending a positive message to the community on ATF’s commitment to keep children, parents, and educators safe from firearms violence while at school,” said Nichols. “We will continue to investigate, identify, pursue and hold accountable those individuals who seek to violate the safety of our schools. These investigations are a priority for ATF.”
Multiple local, state and federal agencies participated in the investigation of this case, including the Eupora Police Department, Webster County Sheriff’s Department, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Supervisory Agent Joseph Frank of the Oxford Resident Office served as the case agent and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Bradley.
