Armon Shannon, a 25-year-old resident of South Bend, Indiana, has been sentenced to 82 months in federal prison and two years of supervised release after being found guilty by a jury of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. The sentencing was delivered by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty following a two-day trial in July, according to an announcement from Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.
Court documents show that Shannon fled from police officers in the parking lot of a gas station in South Bend. When officers apprehended him, they discovered a loaded handgun on the ground along the route he had taken while fleeing. Shannon has several previous felony convictions, including two prior federal convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm. These convictions prohibit him from possessing firearms.
“Shannon had already been convicted in federal court twice for illegally possessing a firearm,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Proctor. “Evidently, neither conviction convinced him that he should give up on carrying guns. Thanks to the strong effort of our partner agencies and the excellent work of our trial attorneys, he will have 82 months to learn the lesson that he failed to take on the first two times he went to federal prison. Our office always tirelessly pursues such repeat offenders.”
Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon commented on law enforcement efforts: “ATF is proud to work with the South Bend Police Department to take convicted felons who unlawfully possess firearms off our streets. The sentence handed down in this case reflects the seriousness of the conduct and reinforces that repeat violations of the law will be met with significant prison time.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the investigation with help from the South Bend Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Joel Gabrielse and Acting Criminal Division Chief Joseph P. Falvey prosecuted the case.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative designed to reduce violent crime and gun violence through cooperation among law enforcement agencies and community organizations.
