JURY CONVICTS KC MAN OF ILLEGAL FIREARM; FACES AT LEAST 15 YEARS IN PRISON
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – David M. Ketchmark, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Kansas City, Mo., man has been convicted in federal court of illegally possessing a firearm.
Damon L. Collier, 40, of Kansas City, was found guilty on Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012, of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Collier was in possession of a loaded AMT .380-caliber, 9mm Kurz pistol on July 23, 2011. At about 11 p.m. that day, Kansas City police officers responded to a report of a disturbance. Collier was inside an apartment in the 3500 block of Gillham Road, highly intoxicated, carrying a gun and yelling. When officers entered the residence, Collier immediately placed the gun on a table and was taken into custody.
It is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Collier has three prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, two prior felony convictions for distribution of a controlled substance, and prior felony convictions for property damage and trafficking.
Under federal statutes, Collier is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for about half an hour before returning the guilty verdict to U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, ending a trial that began the same day.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Clark and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Shalanda Smith. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Project Ceasefire
Project Ceasefire, launched in October 1999, is a cooperative initiative by federal and local law enforcement and the Kansas City Crime Commission that targets for federal prosecution persons who unlawfully use or possess firearms.
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