KC Man Sentenced to 26 Years in Prison for Illegal Firearm
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.
Damon L. Collier, 40, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 26 years and eight months in federal prison without parole. Collier was sentenced as an armed career offender due to his prior felony convictions for serious drug offenses.
Collier was found guilty on 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, waving a gun around and yelling threats against two other people. When officers entered the residence, Collier immediately placed the gun on a table and was taken into custody.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Collier has eight prior felony convictions, including three prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, two prior felony convictions for sale of a controlled substance, and prior felony convictions for distributing a controlled substance, trafficking drugs and attempted property damage. According to court documents, Collier was arrested for the federal offense while he was on parole for selling a controlled substance.
This case was 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, 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.
This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on–line at
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