A federal grand jury in Columbia charged Devron Jakell Duncan, 33, of Aiken, with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to an April 15 announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.
The indictment follows a Feb. 15, 2023 incident when an officer with the University of South Carolina Police Department stopped Duncan's vehicle in the Five Points area around 2 a.m. Authorities say Duncan left his vehicle against commands, pushed the officer and fled on foot. After he was apprehended, officers found a loaded 9 mm pistol nearby that they say Duncan had discarded. Investigators later learned that Duncan’s girlfriend had purchased the firearm and previously reported it stolen from her residence.
Duncan has prior convictions including domestic violence, illegal possession of a firearm and kidnapping. These offenses prohibit him from legally possessing firearms or ammunition. If convicted on this new charge, he faces up to 15 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release following any prison term. He is currently detained pending trial.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which brings together law enforcement agencies and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence through focused enforcement priorities and community support initiatives.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with University of South Carolina Police investigated the case; Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Timmons is prosecuting it. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina protects communities across the state by managing criminal prosecutions as well as civil cases for the federal government according to its official website. The office operates out of Columbia, Charleston, Florence and Greenville with about 120 prosecutors and support staff according to its official website.
Officials remind that all charges are accusations at this stage: "All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."
