Charles Tigner, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, TN 2014

MEMPHIS, TN – A jury has found Charles Tigner guilty of possessing a firearm while a convicted felon and on school property. The announcement of the conviction was made by Lawrence J. Laurenzi, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.

The incident unfolded on October 30, 2014, at Ross Elementary School. Officers with the Memphis Police Department responded to an armed suspect report and encountered Tigner, who engaged them in a physical fight that required chemical deployment.

Tigner was chased from the school to his residence at 6946 Boothbay, where he was eventually apprehended. A Ruger 9 mm firearm was recovered on school grounds near the scene of the struggle.

The suspect had an outstanding warrant for domestic violence charges at the time of the incident. Tigner now faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the two counts.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 4, 2017, before Honorable U.S. District Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr. The case was investigated by the Memphis Police Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dean DeCandia and Bayonle Osundare prosecuting on behalf of the government.

Tigner’s conviction underscores the city’s ongoing efforts to combat gun violence and ensure the safety of school environments.

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