Charlotte Man and Accomplice Sentenced for Wilkes County Shooting

Nasir Malik Guilford, 22, of Charlotte, and Marcello Marquis Meaders, 21, of North Wilkesboro pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and related offenses for a shooting that occurred on Dec. 28, 2024, on Gentry Street in the Fairplains community of Wilkes County, North Carolina. Both were sentenced by Wilkes Superior Court to terms of imprisonment ranging from a minimum of 73 months to a maximum of 129 months, along with supervised probation periods. The charges of attempted first‑degree murder, conspiracy and other aggravated offenses were dropped as part of plea agreements.

The victim, identified as Jasiah Ferguson, suffered multiple gunshot wounds but survived after treatment at Wilkes Medical Center and later Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The defendants were arrested in Chester County, South Carolina, and extradited to North Carolina for trial.