U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson | U.S. Department of Justice
Denzel Givens and Christopher Rucker, both residents of South Bend, Indiana, have been sentenced for illegally possessing firearms. The sentencing was conducted by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after both men pled guilty to the charges.
Givens received a sentence of 92 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Rucker was sentenced to 84 months in prison with an additional two years of supervised release.
Court documents reveal that in January 2024, Givens drove to a parking lot at an apartment complex in South Bend with Rucker as a passenger. When a particular car passed by, Givens fired nearly 20 rounds from two firearms at it. Some bullets hit the car and others struck nearby occupied apartment buildings. After the shooting ceased, Rucker concealed the weapons used by Givens in a nearby apartment. Both men were previously convicted felons and thus prohibited from possessing firearms.
The investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with support from the South Bend Police Department, St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office, and Indiana State Police Laboratory Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Katelan McKenzie Doyle and Joseph P. Falvey prosecuted the case.
This legal action is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The Department launched a strategy on May 26, 2021, focusing on building trust within communities, supporting violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and evaluating outcomes.
