Tampa, Florida - Lavonta Hill (27, St. Petersburg) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on Jan. 25, 2017, at approximately 3:45 a.m., Hill was involved in a shootout in a residential area on 15th Avenue South, near 16th Street South, in St. Petersburg. Shortly after the shooting, St. Petersburg Police Department (SPPD) officers found Hill on the ground in the parking lot of a nearby liquor store, bleeding from his head and one arm. Hill, who at the time was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition, denied knowing where the shooting occurred, who shot him, or why. He was taken to a hospital and treated for gunshot wounds.
Further investigation by SPPD determined that the shooting had occurred in an area on 15th Street South encompassing several houses, where at least 62 rounds of ammunition had been fired. In the front yard of one of the residences, an officer found a blue recycling container with blood smeared on it. Under the container, the officer found a firearm with blood on it and investigators discovered a trail of blood drops leading from that residence to the liquor store parking lot, ending at the spot where the officers had found Hill. A surveillance video from the grocery store showed a man staggering across the parking lot and crossing the street toward the liquor store at approximately 3:46 a.m., and witnesses described seeing Hill stumble and sway as he approached the liquor store. DNA from the blood on the firearm and recycling bin matched Hill’s DNA and a firearms and ballistics expert determined that two of the cartridge cases from the shooting scene were fired from the firearm linked to Hill.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Petersburg Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Sinacore.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In October 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to develop districtwide crime reduction strategies, incorporating the lessons learned since the program’s inception in 2001. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
