A Beaumont man has been sentenced to federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Brian Keith Murphy, 33, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and received an 85-month sentence from U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on July 9, 2025.
Court documents revealed that on August 11, 2024, law enforcement responded to reports of shots fired near a gas station on Concord Avenue in Beaumont. The Beaumont Police Department was able to monitor the incident live through their "Real-Time-Crime Center." Officers witnessed the shooter firing multiple shots near vehicles and individuals in the parking lot via the live stream.
Coordination between officers monitoring the stream and those at the scene led to identifying the vehicle used by the shooter to flee. The vehicle was stopped, and Murphy was identified as the shooter. Two firearms were found in his vehicle, including one used during the shooting. At that time, Murphy was under federal supervised release for a previous conviction of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative utilizing resources from the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators. Efforts are coordinated with Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives along with the Beaumont Police Department conducted investigations into this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James prosecuted it.
