Brandon Chanell Joyner, a 29-year-old resident of Columbia, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm following an incident that occurred on July 18, 2023. According to evidence presented during the investigation, law enforcement responded to reports of a man firing a gun into the air at the intersection of Greystone Boulevard and Stoneridge Drive. When officers arrived, Joyner fired three shots at a police vehicle and later fired additional rounds at other responding units.
Joyner retreated to his hotel room where he reloaded his firearm and continued shooting before being struck by return fire from law enforcement. He subsequently changed clothes and exited his room, claiming to be an innocent bystander when confronted by officers. Police arrested him after determining he was the shooter. A 9mm pistol recovered from the hotel parking lot contained Joyner’s DNA, and ballistics tests confirmed that shell casings from the scene matched those from the recovered weapon.
Joyner's prior felony convictions made it illegal for him to possess a firearm.
United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr sentenced Joyner to 180 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
In addition to his federal sentence, Joyner pleaded guilty in state court to ten counts of attempted murder and received a concurrent sentence of 25 years in state prison.
The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which coordinates efforts between law enforcement agencies and communities with the goal of reducing violent crime and gun violence. The Department strengthened its violent crime reduction strategy for PSN beginning May 26, 2021 by focusing on building community trust, supporting organizations that prevent violence, setting targeted enforcement priorities, and tracking results.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; South Carolina Law Enforcement Division; Columbia Police Department; and Richland County Sheriff's Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Elizabeth Major led the prosecution.
"There is no parole in the federal system."
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