A man who tried to shoot a Springfield Police Officer earlier this year will spend the next 75 years behind bars.
Prosecutors say Christopher Jellison was charged with first degree assault and armed criminal action among other charges.
Court records say on May 3rd Officer Stephen Layton and Officer Nicholas Brasser found Jellison in a stalled vehicle on Grand and John Q. Hammons Parkway.
When the officers ran the tags on the car, it came back stolen.
Officers then tried to arrest Jellison, but he resisted by pulling out a loaded handgun and put it in the side of Officer Layton.
Officer Brasser then knocked the gun out of Jellison’s hand and was able to gain control of him when other units arrived.
Here is more information provided by the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney:
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson announces that Christopher Lee Jellison, 30, of Springfield, Missouri was sentenced today for attempting to shoot Springfield Police Officer Stephen Layton on May 3, 2018.
Jellison was sentenced by The Honorable David Jones to a total of 75 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for charges contained in the felony information. In Count One charging assault in the first degree of a special victim, the defendant was sentenced to 30 years in the Department of Corrections. In Count Two charging armed criminal action, the defendant was sentenced to 30 years in the Department of Corrections. In Count Three alleging unlawful possession of a firearm, the defendant was sentenced to 10 years in the Department of Corrections. In Count Four charging first degree tampering the defendant was sentenced to five years in the Department of Corrections. The sentences were ordered to run consecutive and probation was denied.
The defendant was found guilty following an October 2018 jury trial. All of the offenses for which he was sentenced occurred on May 3, 2018. The evidence at trial was that Springfield Police Officers Stephen Layton and Nicholas Brasser were on patrol when they encountered Jellison in a stalled vehicle on Grand Street at its intersection with John Q. Hammons Parkway. Based on Jellison’s nervous demeanor and the fact that the vehicle identification number on the car appeared to have been intentionally covered, the officers checked to see if the vehicle was stolen.
Upon receiving confirmation that the plates on the vehicle were reported as stolen, the officers approached to detain Jellison on suspicion of being in possession of a stolen vehicle. Jellison was initially physically compliant with the officers, but once they had holstered their sidearms and tried to place him in handcuffs, Jellison began to resist. During the struggle, Jellison pulled a loaded 9 mm handgun from his waistband and placed the muzzle of the handgun against the side of Officer Layton. Officer Brasser knocked the gun from Jellison’s hand onto the street. The officers were eventually able to obtain physical control of Jellison when other Springfield Police Officers began to arrive on the scene, some with police dogs.
At the time of this incident, Jellison was a convicted felon and not able to lawfully possess a firearm. His prior convictions are for Second Degree Robbery, Stealing, Second Degree Burglary, and several Forgery counts.
