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Des Moines Kum & Go Shooter Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
DES MOINES, IA – Ceeron Tearrence Williams, 29, of Des Moines, has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for felon in possession of ammunition, announced Acting United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal. Williams was ordered to serve three years of supervised release to follow his prison term.
According to court documents and evidence presented at the three-day federal trial held in May, Williams fired nine gunshots from a pistol while he and a group of individuals were standing near the storefront of a Des Moines Kum & Go store on January 21, 2018. Williams struck his intended victim with seven of his gunshots, including in the abdomen and hips. The victim survived.
Williams was indicted in federal court in February 2021 for possessing ammunition on the date of the shooting, having been previously convicted of a felony. The federal indictment followed a prosecution by the Polk County Attorney’s Office where Williams was charged with Attempted Murder, Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent, and related state charges. In September 2020, a Polk County jury acquitted Williams of Attempted Murder but convicted him of several less severe charges.
Williams has an undischarged term to serve on the state convictions. The federal sentence was ordered to run consecutive—that is one after the other—to Williams’ undischarged state term of prison. There is no parole in the federal criminal justice system.
“We applaud the work of our local partners at the Polk County Attorney’s Office in pursuing justice for the victim in this case. Our office will continue to invest federal resources when necessary to ensure violent criminals face sufficient punishment for their crimes and to protect the community. Persons who commit brazen gun violence in our community should know that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will pursue them,” said Acting United States Attorney Westphal.
The investigation was conducted by the Des Moines Police Department, assisted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of Project Safe Neighborhood, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
As part of the investigation, Williams was found to have fired nine gunshots from a pistol outside a Des Moines Kum & Go store, striking his intended victim with seven of the shots and leaving them in critical condition. Williams was previously convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing ammunition under federal law.
The case is a stark reminder of the importance of holding violent offenders accountable for their actions and the need for continued cooperation between law enforcement agencies to prevent crimes like this from happening in the future.
Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Category: Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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