John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana
Brandon Lee, a 35-year-old resident of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. A federal jury found Lee guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after a two-day trial in July 2024.
Court documents reveal that on April 26, 2023, at around 10:00 pm, Lee stole a gray Honda Accord parked near a food truck while its owner was ordering food. He drove the car to Cumberland, Indiana. By approximately 10:55 pm, officers from the Cumberland Police Department located the stolen vehicle in an apartment complex parking lot with Lee standing nearby. Upon seeing the officers approach, Lee fired a shot into the air with a semiautomatic pistol and fled on foot.
Lee was apprehended after attempting to jump over a wooden privacy fence during a brief chase through the neighborhood. Officers discovered keys to the stolen Honda Accord in his pocket upon arrest. The following day, police found Lee's gun in the bed of a pickup truck parked overnight at the apartment complex. DNA analysis linked him to this firearm.
Since 2010, Lee has accumulated convictions for illegally possessing firearms, theft and battery, and resisting law enforcement. These prior felony convictions prohibit him from legally possessing firearms.
"This defendant’s reckless use of a firearm endangered officers and innocent bystanders in their own backyards," stated John E. Childress, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. "I hope this sentence will bring comfort to our citizens and those impacted knowing that Mr. Lee is behind bars and not free to terrorize others."
Herbert J. Stapleton, FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge added: "This sentence underscores the serious consequences for those who engage in violent and dangerous behavior that puts the community at risk."
The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), and Cumberland Police Department. U.S. District Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt imposed the sentence.
Acting U.S. Attorney Childress expressed gratitude towards Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey L. Massa and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy C. Fugate for prosecuting this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities.
