Gerald Wayne Jackson, Armed Jewelry Store Robbery, Tennessee 2016

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A chilling scene unfolded on April 20, 2016, when Gerald Wayne Jackson, 27, of Chattanooga, Tenn., was sentenced by the Honorable Curtis L. Collier, Senior U.S. District Judge, to serve 175 months in federal prison for his role in an attempted armed jewelry store robbery.

On October 2015, Jackson pleaded guilty to an attempted Hobbs Act robbery and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. This marked a significant development in a case that had been ongoing since April 2013, when Jackson and his associate Diontre Danforth, 21, of Chattanooga, Tenn., attempted to commit an armed robbery of the Kennedy Jewelry Store in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The brazen heist took a deadly turn when Jackson entered the jewelry store wearing a mask covering his face and armed with a .223 caliber Saiga assault rifle loaded with a magazine. He immediately fired the rifle toward the back of the store where several employees and a customer were standing. Jackson demanded the employees hand “all of it” over to Danforth, who had entered the store with his face covered carrying a laundry basket and pillow case.

However, before they had time to take any merchandise, one of the store managers heard gunfire, grabbed his 9mm handgun and returned fire. Jackson fired several shots toward the manager before he and Danforth left the store. Jackson proceeded to fire several more shots into the store. In total, seven .223 caliber shell casings were recovered from the scene.

A subsequent investigation of evidence recovered from the crime scene and a residence further linked both Danforth and Jackson to the robbery. An alert Chattanooga police officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle occupied by Danforth and Jackson, which matched the description of the vehicle used in the robbery.

Danforth previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve nine years in federal prison. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Chattanooga Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Edwards represented the United States.

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