Kiyel Kearney, a 23-year-old previously convicted felon from the District of Columbia, was sentenced on April 28 in U.S. District Court to 40 months in prison for illegally possessing a loaded revolver in May 2025 while prohibited from having any firearm, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced.
The sentencing highlights ongoing efforts to address gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws against individuals with prior felony convictions.
According to court documents, police responded to gunfire reported by ShotSpotter technology on May 10, 2025, around 11:45 p.m. Officers observed a gray Acura sedan with four occupants speeding and running a red light before crashing after entering opposing lanes of traffic. All four occupants fled the scene on foot. Police pursued Kearney as he appeared to be holding his waist area while running, which officers said was consistent with trying to prevent a firearm from falling. After slipping and falling during the chase on North Capitol Street NW, Kearney surrendered and was found carrying a semiautomatic Glock 33 .357 caliber pistol loaded with fourteen rounds in a fifteen-round magazine.
Surveillance footage showed Kearney interacting with others before retrieving a long gun from his backpack and firing it multiple times into an alley as he fled. At least three other individuals also discharged firearms during this incident. A bystander was struck by stray bullets but it is unclear whose weapon caused the injury. Investigators recovered multiple shell casings at the scene where Kearney fired the long gun.
At the time of this offense, Kearney had another pending case for illegally possessing a firearm in May 2023 when he was apprehended with a Glock 43x nine-millimeter pistol containing one round in the chamber and eight rounds in its magazine.
This case was prosecuted under the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful initiative supporting President Trump's Executive Order targeting gun violence through tougher penalties for federal firearms violations.
