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Mark Ivie Jr., 21, shot at a group of men with an AR-15 rifle after an altercation at the Ivie’s Ephrata home on Blackberry Lane that began over a Snapchat argument, according to the release.
During the trial the jury heard testimony that a former coworker of Ivie Jr. posted a music video on Snapchat, which Ivie Jr. criticized, starting an argument online, according to the release and police at the time.
The former coworker, who had been having a Fourth of July cookout with five other friends, argued online until Ivie Jr. sent his address on Blackberry Lane for the two to have a fistfight, the release states.
The six unarmed men arrived to find Ivie Jr. and his father, Mark Ivie Sr., waiting outside the house with an AR-15 rifle, according to the release.
During the fight Ivie Sr. handed the gun to Ivie Jr. before the father threw a punch toward one of the men, according to a video shown during the trial.
Ivie Jr. took off the safety and fired 14 rounds at the group of men, striking four of them and two bullets went into nearby houses, the video showed according to the DA.
The initial gunfire caused the men to run but Ivie Jr. maneuvering around a truck to continue firing, according to the video.
“Within the first three or four shots, everyone is running away,” Deputy District Attorney Travis S. Anderson said. “But he keeps shooting. The defendant decided he wanted to win (the fight), and he made sure that he won.”
Neither Ivie nor his father called 911, according to testimony.
The jury returned its verdict to County Judge Donald Totaro after about two and a half hours of deliberations, Wednesday around 4 p.m., according to the DA.
Ivie Jr. was also convicted for five counts of aggravated assault, two counts of recklessly endangering a person, and two counts of discharging a firearm into an occupied building, the DA says.
His bail was increased from $1 million to $1.5 million following the conviction "due to the nature of the charges," according to court documents.
Sentencing has been scheduled for Dec. 22, 2021, according to court documents.
Ivie Jr. could face over 100 years in prison for the charges, based on Pennsylvania State law.
His father, Mark Ivie Sr., 44, faces six charges of criminal conspiracy, six charges of aggravated assault and a charge of simple assault at his upcoming trial.
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