Gabriel Galvan, Possessing a Firearm, Florida 2020

A chilling incident in Sarasota has led to a lengthy prison sentence for a 32-year-old man.

Gabriel Galvan, a convicted felon, was sentenced to seven years and two months in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition after a February 2020 shooting incident.

On February 10, 2020, Galvan was standing in the middle of the street, blocking traffic in a Sarasota neighborhood. When a driver blew his horn and gestured to Galvan to move out of the road, he pulled a gun from his back pocket and fired two shots.

The car drove off and Galvan fled the area. Officers from the Sarasota Police Department then responded to the scene, made contact with Galvan, and located the firearm hidden underneath an air conditioner, as well as two spent shell casings.

Galvan later confessed to possessing and firing the firearm. Further, a DNA analysis concluded it was 700 billion times more likely that the sample came from Galvan than anyone else.

At the time of the shooting, Galvan had several previous felony convictions and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sarasota Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charlie D. Connally as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, a joint federal, state, and local initiative aimed at reducing violent crime.

Galvan pleaded guilty to the charges on April 27, 2021.