A man from Terre Haute, Indiana, has been sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison for the illegal transfer of a firearm to a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge A.J. Gibes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. of the Kentucky State Police, and Sheriff Derek Polston of the Russell County Sheriff's Office.
Court documents reveal that Shawn Michael Kays, aged 42, received his sentence along with three years of supervised release for his involvement in transferring a Smith & Wesson Model SD9VE nine-millimeter pistol to a convicted felon between November 2023 and January 2024. It is alleged that this firearm was later used in the fatal shooting of a Russell County Sheriff's Deputy on September 16, 2024. However, Kays is neither charged with nor implicated in the shooting itself.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF Bowling Green Branch Office and the Russell County Sheriff's Office, with support from other divisions including ATF Columbus Field Division, ATF Indianapolis Field Division Office, and Kentucky State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Nicholas Rabold from the U.S. Attorney's Bowling Green Branch Office prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence by uniting law enforcement agencies and communities to ensure safer neighborhoods. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a strategy to reduce violent crime under PSN's principles: building trust within communities, supporting organizations preventing violence, focusing enforcement priorities strategically, and evaluating results effectively.
