RICHMOND, Va. - A Richmond man was sentenced today to eight years in prison for possession of a firearm while being a convicted felon.
According to court documents, in February, Richmond Police encountered Gary Garrison, 25, trespassing in the Creighton Court area of Richmond. Officers were aware that Garrison was a felon and member of the “Closed Mouth Gang" (CMG), a gang based in Creighton Court. As officers approached in their patrol vehicle, they observed a bulge in Garrison’s jacket pocket as he tried to turn his body away from them. One of the officers exited the vehicle to approach Garrison when he began to flee. Officers made chase and apprehended Garrison, finding a stolen firearm in his jacket pocket. Following his arrest, Garrison admitted to having started CMG in 2016, and identified his brother, Gregory Garrison, as a member of the gang.
Approximately one week after Garrison was arrested, fellow gang members and brothers Todd Jones, Jr., and Tod’Quan Jones, shot an individual that they erroneously believed had alerted police to Garrison carrying the firearm. Prior to that shooting and while Garrison was in Richmond City Jail, Garrison called the Joneses and they discussed whether the shooting victim had caused Garrison’s arrest. While still on the phone call, the Joneses told Garrison that they were looking at the victim right then. Garrison encouraged the men to shoot the victim in retaliation for Garrison’s arrest.
During the sentencing, the Court found that Garrison founded CMG and that he condoned the Joneses’ shooting the victim.
The Jones brothers have each been found guilty in state court of malicious wounding and gang participation relative to the shooting. Gregory Garrison pleaded guilty to carjacking on Aug. 2, and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 12.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, and William C. Smith, Interim Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:19-cr-64.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
