Arties Dushawn Brown, a 35-year-old resident of Evansville, Indiana, has been sentenced to fifteen years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. This sentence follows his guilty plea for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Court documents reveal that on April 2, 2023, Evansville Police responded to reports of gunfire in a residential area. A 911 caller described the shooter as wearing a black jacket, white hat, white shoes, and camouflage jacket. Upon arrival, officers discovered a spent shell casing at the reported location.
Brown was found nearby matching the description and with a firearm visible in his pants pocket. When ordered to show his hands, Brown fled through an apartment hallway. During his escape, he discarded the firearm, jumped a fence into a backyard where he requested new clothes from the homeowner. Officers later apprehended him wearing different clothes while the discarded loaded firearm was recovered from a neighbor's yard.
At the time of arrest, Brown had multiple felony convictions including burglary and battery with a deadly weapon as well as domestic battery misdemeanor. These convictions prohibit him from legally possessing firearms.
"Illegally armed domestic abusers pose a significant danger to everyone close to them," stated Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. "That’s why we have prioritized federal prosecution of illegally armed individuals with a history of domestic violence."
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with Evansville Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger under U.S. District Judge Matthew P. Brookman.
This case is part of the LEATH Initiative (Law Enforcement Action to Halt Domestic Violence), named after Officer Breann Leath who died responding to a domestic disturbance call.
