A Jefferson County man faced sentencing in a gun-related case, as announced by U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona. U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala sentenced Jaden O’Neal Cooper, also known as “Tallapoosa Jay,” 21, from Midfield, Alabama, to a 27-month prison term. Cooper had pleaded guilty in January to the charge of possessing a machine gun.
Court records detailed that on February 1, 2024, surveillance activity, conducted by the Leeds Police Department, Birmingham Police Department East Task Force, FBI, and Jefferson County Sheriff's Star One Aviation Unit, was underway in the Inglenook area. Detectives had previously interacted with an individual driving a red 2021 Hyundai Sonata. Upon verification, the tag on the vehicle corresponded to a white 2014 Hyundai Sonata, prompting further investigation by a Birmingham Police officer with a traffic stop.
During this stop, the officer identified Cooper as a passenger, noting him as a known member of the street gang Hard to Kill “H2K.” Visible at Cooper’s feet was an AM-15 pistol, an assault-style rifle. Additional officers assisted with the stop, as a Leeds Police Department detective retrieved the firearm, which was found to be loaded. The firearm was fitted with a plastic piece—a 3-D printed “swift link” conversion device—within its trigger assembly, thereby transforming it into a fully automatic machine gun.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with the Leeds Police Department, Birmingham Police Department East Task Force, and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Star One Aviation Unit, executed the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Darius C. Greene oversaw the prosecution.
