A Jackson man pleaded guilty on April 17 to being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to an announcement made by United States Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff.
The case concerns Derrick Epps, age 44, who was found with a firearm after law enforcement responded to a shooting on Robinson Street in Jackson on September 15, 2025. Investigators determined that Epps pursued and confronted another individual outside a convenience store before opening fire. At the time, Epps had prior convictions for armed robbery, kidnapping, aggravated assault by firearm, and assault on a law enforcement officer.
Epps is scheduled for sentencing on July 23 and could face up to life imprisonment if sentenced under the Armed Career Criminal Act. The sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation with support from the Jackson Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Brett Grantham is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), which brings together resources from several Department of Justice initiatives aimed at combating illegal immigration and violent crime.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi includes offices in Jackson, Gulfport and Hattiesburg according to its official website. The office operates under direction from the Attorney General according to its official website and encompasses 45 counties across approximately 25,000 square miles in southern Mississippi according to its official website. The office prosecutes federal crimes—including cases like this one—handles civil lawsuits for the government, collects federal debts according to its official website, serves as chief federal law enforcement officer within its jurisdiction according to its official website, covers much of southern Mississippi including three major cities according to its official website, and manages both criminal prosecutions as well as civil litigation for the United States government while spanning thousands of square miles according to its official website.
