A Lancaster County jury convicted a felon Wednesday of firing a gun from a moving car last year in the city.
Tyair Alonza Burnside, 22, was convicted of felony illegal possession of a firearm, following a three-day trial with Judge James Cullen presiding.
Lancaster city police officers, in a marked cruiser, heard a gunshot and saw Burnside, a front-seat passenger, pull his arm in from a moving car on June 3, 2014.
The vehicle Burnside was in fled police, and Burnside threw the weapon: a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol. Police recovered it and noticed it had been recently fired.
Police determined Burnside was a convicted felon, regarding a 2012 drug case.
Assistant District Attorney Christine L. Wilson won the conviction; the verdict was announced Wednesday morning.
Burnside is at Lancaster County Prison on $250,000 bail. He will be sentenced on Oct. 16.
District Attorney Craig Stedman said the case illustrates how important it is to prosecute felons who carry firearms.
“There are a lot of differing opinions concerning firearms right now,” Stedman said. “However, one area in which everyone agrees is that in order to protect our communities, convicted felons who choose to carry a gun need to face serious consequences.
“Nothing good comes from a convicted felon driving or walking around with a loaded handgun. In fact, the best thing that can happen is that no one gets shot.”
No one was wounded in the Burnside case.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us